Who We Are
by SCLindseySC
Summary: Set in 1997 with a few twists, Caroline Benson, reeling from her recent break up with Dr. Jones fears he will take her child. In desperation, she turns to her unborn son's biological father, Jason Morgan. When Jason fears his life is too dangerous for a child Carly launches another wacky plan that may not just give her child a father, but also heal years of Quartermaine hurt.
1. Preface

*A grieving father ...

*A marriage destroyed ...

*A couple struggling to come back together ...

*A mother determined to protect her child ...

*A father who wants to do right by his child ...

All in the context of one loud, but loving, Quartermaine Family, leads to a request that just might heal so many hurts of the past.


	2. Chapter 1: The Newest Mrs Ned Ashton

Friday October 3, 1997

As she relaxed back into the leather couch of her new husband's family jet Carly smiled at the way the light caught and cascaded from the diamond on her finger. _Yes, Caroline, you have arrived!_ Or at least that was what the ring seemed to scream at her. It was all certainly a far cry from the Miami trailer park of her childhood. That sent a shiver of excitement, or perhaps it was regret, down her spine. Carly couldn't honestly be sure which. She glanced at her wedding ring set once more a bit more wistfully.

"Are you cold?" Ned asked. He didn't wait for her answer but stood and quickly spread the velvet blanket over her.

"Thanks," Carly offered absently. She wasn't quite ready to share her thoughts. She supposed Ned must have sensed that because he returned almost as quickly to the table where he had set up his laptop and spread out most of the contents of his briefcase.

They were returning from their "working honeymoon". They had spent five days just outside of Bingham Canyon, Utah while Ned met with his relatives, Quentin and Celia Quartermaine, the father daughter team that was running ELQ-West. While Ned mapped out the future of ELQ, or something like that, Carly had spent three full, yet luxuriating, days at the Spa and even managed to find a few shops in downtown West Jordan. She had overhauled her wardrobe in preparation for becoming a good Quartermaine wife.

 _A good Quartermaine wife?_ Carly could only laugh at the concept, and involuntarily a chuckle escaped her lips. There wasn't anything good about Caroline Benson Ashton and she sensed her mother in law, the Honorable Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler, knew that. The family court judge hadn't exactly come out and said that. But the look in her eyes as she embraced Carly after the small ceremony had basically screamed, _I am so onto you!_

Or at least that was what Carly had heard. She was sure everyone else, even Virginia, would report that they had heard Tracy welcome her to the family and assure her that the entire Quartermaine family loved Ned and they would certainly come to love anyone Ned loved so fiercely. Perhaps that had been the problem because Carly knew that Ned didn't love her fiercely. He didn't love her at all. Perhaps his mother knew that. Perhaps she had noted that, although sweet, and probably even heartfelt, Ned's vows had carefully avoided any mention of the word love. He had instead focused on the providing and protecting aspects of husbandry. He had vowed to help her create a safe and loving home for their children. He had been kind enough, or perhaps just tactful enough, to not point out that had circumstances been different he would be honoring those vows, with love included, with another woman.

Of course, if circumstances were different, Carly wanted to believe she wouldn't be marrying Ned. She wanted to believe she would be marrying Ned's cousin. Perhaps Ned would have even stood up for them. Or not…

Unfortunately, circumstances weren't different. Six days earlier she had married Edward Lawrence Ashton and she was going to have to figure out how to be a good Quartermaine wife.

Carly rolled her eyes at that notion and reframed. No, she was going to have to figure out how to pull the wool over her mother in law's eyes. That might actually be more challenging but Carly had an idea it could also be a whole lot more fun. She had told Jason that if she had to be in a loveless marriage for the sake of her child she needed excitement. She supposed keeping Mommy Dearest at bay might serve that purpose. That hadn't exactly been what she had been referring to when she had been talking to Jason though.

XXXXXXXX

Keesha Ward sighed as she stood in the rose garden at her boyfriend's parents' home. As it had been a very mild autumn, many of the rose bushes were still in full bloom and AJ's grandmother had thought it would be wonderful if some of her own roses could be incorporated into the dinner party she was holding for his cousin Ned and his new bride that evening at the PC Grille.

"So, AJ said something about yellow being Carly's favorite color?" Keesha asked as she snipped a yellow rose. She was careful to leave a long stem to allow Lila to arrange at will, as she had heard the older woman call it.

"If he says so," Brenda Barrett said as she snipped roses from a different bush.

"He said the entire church was full of yellow roses at their wedding," Keesha said.

Ned and Carly had married in a small church ceremony in Florida. Apparently, Carly's mother wasn't in good health and Ned had been afraid she wasn't well enough to travel somewhere. AJ had pointed out that a small ceremony in Florida on short notice had also eliminated most of the Quartermaine guest list. His own parents had been unable to attend as his cardiologist mother and surgeon father had both had on call responsibilities. Even his grandparents had been forced to decline as Lila hadn't felt up to making the trip and Edward had stayed home with her. Keesha had been invited, as AJ's date, but less than forty-eight hours of notice hadn't exactly been enough to find someone to cover for her at Ward House. So, in the end, the entire Quartermaine contingent consisted of only AJ plus Ned's mother, her second husband, psychiatrist, Dr. Ryan Grabler, and their two children eleven-year-old Dylan and six-year-old Shannon.

"Yeah, you didn't see that when Ned married Lois," Brenda said.

Keesha remembered Ned's wedding to Lois Cerullo too. At the time she had thought it was the most romantic out of a storybook, fairytale wedding. They had both looked so in love and as she had danced in Jason's arms, she had imagined what their own wedding might be like someday.

That someday never came. Almost two years after Lois and Ned's happy day, Jason's parents were both killed when their car was struck by a drunk driver. Jason had also been in the car, but he survived. Or at least in the literal sense he had. Initially Keesha had rejoiced over that, especially since the accident had happened right on the heels of her grandmother's death and she just hadn't been able to face losing another person she loved. Except she had anyway, because Jason couldn't remember the life he had lived before, or the love they had shared. She had tried to be patient, love him, and pray that they would find their way through a horrible situation together.

Except they hadn't. Her love hadn't inspired or encouraged him. It had just made him frustrated enough to overturn a table at Luke's and escape out into the cold early March night. There he met Sonny Corinthos who spotted him cab fare and gave the driver the address for his aunt's house on Lilac Drive, because Jason hadn't remembered that himself.

That had been the night that Keesha had started to wonder if perhaps the Jason she had known and loved really was gone forever like his parents. She hadn't given up though, not then. She hadn't even wanted to give up three days later when he all but raped her in the home gym at the Quartermaine mansion. AJ and Brenda had heard her scream and they had both walked in before Jason had gotten too far. At least in some senses they had. In other senses a line had been crossed and Keesha had been forced to accept the sad reality that her relationship with Jason Morgan had to be over.

Although it was eighteen months later the memories of that time still hurt. Sometimes Keesha was afraid they always would. She forced herself to let go of them and continue the conversation with Brenda. "AJ said that Ned really looked happy though. I hope he is. I hope they are," she said.

"AJ thought Sonny looked happy when he married Lily," Brenda said pointedly.

"That was the last thing Jason and I went to together before the accident," Keesha said.

Brenda turned away from the rose bush and met her eyes fully. "Sorry, I really wasn't thinking about that. I wouldn't have brought it up otherwise," she whispered.

"I know, and it's ok. I've mostly accepted that the man I loved is gone, but I don't think that means I have to pretend the love we shared was never there because it was. So, yeah, it's a little bittersweet to remember that goofy grin Jason had when I caught the bouquet at that wedding, and perhaps more bittersweet if I know that he had even picked out my ring at Barrington Jewelers. But the truth is, as hard as it is, every moment of our lives, whether born of joy or pain has the potential for grace realized. We can't hide from the memories; we have to learn from some and we have to draw hope and strength from others and that is grace realized!"

"Exactly, my dear. Your grandmother was such a dear friend and such an inspiration to all of us. Her spirit clearly lives on in you and your cousins," Lila Quartermaine said as she whirred into the rose garden on her motorized scooter.

"Maybe that is why, other than at Ward House, I feel closest to GranMae right here in this rose garden," Keesha said. Her grandmother and Lila Quartermaine had been friends almost longer than Keesha had been alive. Together they had founded the original Chapparal County Children's Home with a grant from the Charles Street Foundation in 1982. Keesha remembered wearing a purple sundress and watching her grandmother cut the ribbon looped across the front door. She had been almost six and it had been the first summer she spent with her grandmother. After that all of her childhood summers were spent in Port Charles. She remembered many lazy summer days sipping lemonade in the Quartermaine rose garden while her grandmother and Lila talked, swimming in the Quartermaine pool with AJ, and later Robin Scorpio.

"You're always welcome here, dear. I hope you know that. Now, let's see what we can do with these roses," Lila said.

XXXXXXXX

Carly burrowed under the blanket as she watched her husband toggle through spreadsheets on his laptop. It was almost a little entertaining the way Ned could get so engrossed in his work that the outside world seemingly disappeared. She wondered if it had always been like that for him. Jason had never talked much about his family. At first, she hadn't thought much of that. They were just having sex without strings so why would he need to share any of himself with her? He was in love with St. Robin and she was hell bent on seducing her mother's husband there couldn't be a future for them. She had tried to convince herself she was ok with that. She had failed.

Then, when Tony had left Bobbie for her, she had assured herself that she was finally going to be happy. But she wasn't, not unless she was hiding out with Jason in his room above Jake's. She had tried to convince herself that her pregnancy would fill the missing piece in her relationship with Tony. Yet, even then, she had feared it wouldn't be, couldn't be. She wasn't exactly maternal. She had tried to rationalize that she could give Tony something Bobbie couldn't, another child. Except that hadn't really been true, because she had been quite certain the baby wasn't really Tony's. After her clandestine amnio at Mercy she had been positive the baby wasn't really Tony's. Initially she had kept that to herself because Jason had made it very clear that he didn't want their situation to change. She knew he wouldn't leave Robin for her.

It had only been when Jason had nearly died over the summer, after being shot in some mob skirmish, that Carly had revealed that her child was their child. Almost losing Jason had only made her feelings stronger, bolder, and more brazen. So, she had played her best card and she had hoped that perhaps he might leave Robin for his child. Unfortunately, even that hadn't been enough.

 _July 7, 1997_

 _Carly Roberts thought of all the people she didn't want to run into as she came through the sliding doors of the main entrance to Port Charles General Hospital. It had been almost three months since she had been caught in bed with another woman's husband. Bobbie Jones, who had again become Bobbie Spencer after the divorce, was the OR nurse manager and still shot daggers at Carly months later. It had been almost two months since she had officially failed out of nursing school. She was sure her former classmates were scattered all over the hospital doing their nursing clinicals. She certainly didn't want to see any of them. It had been three weeks since she had been fired, from her job as a PT tech, for unprofessional conduct-having sex while on the clock. At least that was how Chief of Staff Dr. Alan Quartermaine had worded things in her dismissal letter. Somehow Carly had a feeling that it was less what she had been doing, and more who, or maybe it was whom she had never done well in grammar in school, she was doing that had most influenced Alan's decision. If she had been caught grinding with someone other than Alan's best friend Bobbie Spencer's former husband would he have been so quick to dismiss her? Carly thought not._

 _Tony had agreed with her, or at least he had said that. He had also said it was really for the best because he knew she wouldn't want to work after their daughter was born. He was convinced the child she was carrying was going to be a girl. He talked about the wonderful new family he was going to create with his new wife and daughter. They were supposed to get married in August and he had already bought an apartment in Sunset View, the new high-rise complex on Sunset Avenue, for them._

 _In spite of Tony's support, he actually headed the list of people she was hoping not to run into. That had almost been enough to keep her away, but only almost. She had to see Jason! She had to know he was really ok. That had been her only thought since she had heard about the shooting that had happened over the long holiday weekend. Jason-he had to be ok._

 _As she stepped into the West Elevators that would take her to the 4 West ICU she felt the baby move. She wondered if somehow her child, a boy according to the clandestine amniocentesis, knew they were going to see their father. She decided they did and then she made an even more impulsive decision. She was going to tell Jason the truth._

 _When the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor Carly immediately saw Lila Quartermaine flanked by her two oldest granddaughters, Allison and Emily Quartermaine. They were two of the three Quartermaine grandchildren who hadn't been born in Port Charles. Allison had been born in Philadelphia while her mother, Dr. Monica Quartermaine, had been doing her cardiology fellowship and Emily, who had only been adopted into the Quartermaine family after her mother's death in 1994, had been born in Boston. Their much older cousin Ned had been born in London while his mother had been married to some English monarch. Some speech writer had worked those largely irrelevant details into the speech Edward Quartermaine had given when he donated money for the hospital's neonatology expansion earlier in the year._

 _"_ _Miss Roberts, it is so nice to see you again, dear," Lila Quartermaine said brightly. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled._

 _Carly wondered if Lila might truly mean that. Most of the rest of Port Charles had labeled her a home wrecking slut when the news of her affair with Tony had gone public and, in most cases, Carly wasn't sure she could have cared less. Lila was different somehow. Carly could see how much she meant to Jason and she remembered how much it had meant to her when Jason had introduced her to his great aunt a few months earlier. It had been the day she had gotten the letter telling her she was officially expelled from the PCU nursing program. She hadn't really cared about that; nursing had never really been her goal but somehow the expulsion had still hurt. Then she and Tony had an awful fight so she had gone to Jake's looking for Jason. He had been on his way to visit Lila and had let her tag along. Carly suspected he had let her come because he hadn't had time to argue with her but she pushed that thought from her mind. He had let her come, that was the important thing. "It is nice to see you too, Mrs. Quartermaine," she finally said._

 _"_ _Please, call me Lila, dear. As I told you before, any friend of Jason's is a friend of mine. I suspect you are here to see him. Dr. Breslin says he is doing much better they are going to move him out of the ICU tomorrow."_

 _Carly smiled at the information and that Lila had shared it so readily. Technically Lila was Jason's Great Aunt, but she seemed to consider him more of a grandson. Perhaps she would consider their baby her great grandson, she smiled a little more at that thought. "That's wonderful!" she said._

 _"_ _Yes, miracles happen every day," Allison Quartermaine said. Her smile looked much more forced._

 _Carly doubted either of Dr. Alan Quartermaine's daughters were happy to see her. They were both best friends with Lucky Spencer, so she was sure that they shared Lucky's perspective that she was just the tramp who broke up his Aunt Bobbie's marriage._

 _"_ _Yes, they do, dear. But now we mustn't keep Reginald waiting any longer. Goodbye, Carly," Lila said._

 _Emily and Allison parroted their grandmother's salutation in unison and Carly added her own. She started to reach to hold open the elevator door, but Allison stepped into place first as Emily pushed their grandmother's chair forward._

 _As the doors closed on the Quartermaines Carly realized that Emily and Allison were the kind of girls she and her friends would have mocked when she had been their ages. She wasn't thirteen anymore and suddenly she was jealous of the connection they had to each other and the rest of their family. With that thought she started towards the one person she felt the strongest connection to._

 _XXXXXXX_

 _"_ _Jase?" Carly whispered cautiously when she stepped into Jason's room. She ignored the glare from the nurse seated at the counter outside. She was probably one of Bobbie's friends or something._

 _Carly smiled when piercing blue eyes greeted her. "I'm so glad you're alright! Tony and I went away for the holiday weekend and I didn't know until I saw the paper this morning. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it, Jase"_

 _"_ _I'm fine," Jason said._

 _"_ _So, what happened?" Carly asked._

 _"_ _Not important," Jason said._

 _Carly disagreed but decided to let that go. She noted that the nurse who had been sitting just outside the door must have stepped into another patient's room. She took advantage of the resulting privacy. "There is something I need to tell you, Jase, I'm not carrying Tony's child. This is your baby, your son."_

 _Jason blinked several times in rapid succession, but he didn't speak._

 _"_ _Jase?"_

 _"_ _I heard what you said."_

 _"_ _Ok, so are you going to say anything?" Carly asked._

 _"_ _I'll keep your secret if what you want is to raise the baby with Dr. Jones."_

 _As she stood by Jason's bed Carly knew it wasn't what she really wanted. She had thought she did once and she wasn't quite brave enough to admit that she had been wrong. "You would do that?" she asked._

 _"_ _My life is dangerous and it isn't really suited for a child."_

 _"_ _Is that why you're with Robin, because she won't ever be able to have kids because of the HIV?" Carly asked. She regretted her words when she saw the way Jason's face hardened. He was very protective of his St. Robin. "What if I wanted to raise the baby with you?" she asked._

 _"_ _I thought you said you loved Dr. Jones."_

 _Did she love Tony? Carly wasn't sure about that. She knew she didn't love him the way she loved Jason. Unfortunately, Jason didn't love her the way he loved Robin. "I guess I can't force you to be a part of your son's life," Carly said. She wasn't sure she really believed that. She was sure she wasn't ready to stop trying._

 _"_ _It isn't that I don't want the baby. I'm just saying that maybe the best thing I can do for my baby is to just get out of the way. You know if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you," Jason promised._

Carly had clung to the last part of his words, then she had taken some advice from her adoptive father. She had dropped back and punted. She had gone forward with her wedding plans with Tony but another of their horrible fights pushed things back. They had finally planned to elope, but another fight derailed that wedding attempt as well. It had been then that Tony had admitted he didn't love her and he didn't think he really ever had.

That shouldn't have shocked her, but it had somehow. Unfortunately, it had only gotten worse. Tony hadn't been angry he had been furious. He had insisted he would raise his daughter by himself. She could give up her parental rights or he would sue for custody. It was her choice he had insisted, and then he had flown back to Port Charles alone. That had brought her back to Jason, and then into a marriage of convenience with Jason's cousin, Ned. It still wasn't what she wanted but it was what had to happen for her to keep their baby away from Tony. She would do anything for that, anything.


	3. Chapter 2: Haunted by the Memories

Dr. Monica Quartermaine stepped out of the cardiac catheterization suite, removed the heavy leaden apron, and yawned. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. Since Dr. Dorman's death they had one less cardiologist on staff at Port Charles General Hospital and everyone was feeling the strain of that. Beyond that, by the time her former colleague, a man who had kidnapped and tried to rape her, had been found dead in the morgue, where the police eventually had determined it was likely he had been hiding his drug stash, it had been hard for Monica to have felt anything but relief that his reign of terror had finally ended.

She wouldn't exactly say she was glad he was dead, because she believed in the value of life, even a life as depraved as Pierce had made his. Yet, his death had given her some closure, some security that it was really over, that he wasn't still lurking out there somewhere preparing to strike again when she, or even worse one of her young daughters, least expected it. Closure was good, but it still left her to question how, or perhaps when, she had become such a poor judge of character. Once she had considered Dr. Pierce Dorman a respected and trusted colleague, even a friend. That had all changed one night the previous December when she had realized he was looking for a lot more than professional collaboration.

It had started off innocently. Or perhaps she was just naïve. Either way she had been focused on the relative merits of streptokinase and TPA when she stepped into the Olive Branch for dinner and monthly Cardiology Journal Club.

 _December 5, 1996_  
 _Dr. Monica Quartermaine felt uneasy as she slipped into her coat in the entry way of the Olive Branch after a cardiology journal club meeting._

 _"Why don't you just ride with me and I'll bring you back to pick up your car later?" Dr. Pierce Dorman offered._

 _"I don't really need that journal back tonight. You can just bring it to the hospital tomorrow."_

 _"Well, I was hoping to get your input on a patient as well. They really should have surgery, but they refuse so it's a salvage procedure. I have a copy of the films at home and I'd like a second opinion on my approach."_

 _"You really shouldn't get in the habit of bringing cath films home that could be considered a breach of patient confidentiality," Monica said._

 _Dr. Dorman gave her a slick smile. "You really are a stickler for playing by the rules aren't you, Monica?"_

 _"I just think you should be a little more cautious. I'm sure you wouldn't want to compromise patient confidentiality. But, alright, if you have the angiography at home, I'll look at it. I have a full schedule in the cath lab tomorrow, so I probably wouldn't have much time to go over this with you then. Let me just call Alan and tell him I'll be later than I expected."_

 _"He really does try to keep you on a short chain doesn't he? Come on you can use my car phone," Dr. Dorman said._

 _Somehow his last comment made her uncomfortable, but she tried to dismiss that as she followed him across the town square to his car. It appeared that several inches of snow had fallen while they had been having dinner. Several public works staff were running snowblowers over the paths. "Maybe we really are going to get the dumping of snow that the weatherman promised. I suppose we are into December it's time for snow. The kids will be thrilled, I'm sure Kirk plans on wearing his pajamas inside out tonight."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Oh, you know, the superstition that if you wear your pajamas inside out there will be enough snow overnight that school will be cancelled in the morning."_

 _"I suppose I missed out on that growing up in Miami," Dr. Dorman said._

 _That was odd because Monica distinctively remembered him telling Emily all about growing up in Boston. He had joked about their connection via their place of birth and even offered to take her to a Red Sox game. Emily had declined, politely of course because she was and would always be Paige's daughter. Monica blinked a few tears and forced a bittersweet smile at the memory of her friend._

 _"Is something wrong?" Pierce asked as he unlocked his miata and then opened and held the door for her._

 _"I was just thinking of a friend," Monica said as she sunk down into the car._

 _"You're too kind, if you're still feeling sorry for Dr. Collins. I always knew he was a few fries short of a happy meal," Pierce said after he got in and started the car._

 _"Pierce!" Monica admonished._

 _Apparently Pierce missed the discomfort in her eyes because he laughed as he pulled away from the curb. "That's a good one isn't it. I picked that up from the little kid of my housekeeper. His mother is too, if you know what I mean."_

 _"I don't think mental illness is something to be mocked. The whole situation with, and surrounding, Dr. Collins really is nothing short of a tragedy. He wasn't even who I was thinking of though."_

 _"You and Alan must have been comparing notes. That sounds distinctively like what he said at the press conference after Kevin's arrest. Doesn't it ever get stifling to toe the family party line?"_

 _"If you knew my family very well you would understand that independent thought is highly encouraged and lauded, even if only so my father in law has an opponent for debate."_

 _"That sounds positively scintillating, really."_

 _"We have our moments. Edward's bark is a lot worse than his bite," Monica said._

 _It was. Of course, the thought brought her back to thinking of Paige and Emily. Saying that adjusting to life in the Quartermaine household had been a process for Emily would be an understatement. There had been many moments over the past two years since Paige's death when Monica had wondered if they would ever get there. Was there a way that Emily might become her daughter as well? Honestly, they still weren't quite there but they were close enough that Monica could start to believe it would happen. She drew a lot of hope from that. She smiled a little at the thought as she reached into her purse for her cell phone and started to dial her own home number._

 _"I said you could use my car phone, of course we can play this however you want," Pierce said after she had disconnected her conversation with Alan._

 _"Oh, don't worry about that, I always have extra minutes at the end of the month," Monica said._

In retrospect the whole conversation made her uncomfortable and she could see that there were several innuendos she had just missed. At the time she had truly believed that Pierce just wanted to discuss angioplasty approaches. Even when they had reached his cabin on Mt. Kisco and she saw the roaring fire, the chilled champagne, and the roses she had tried to convince herself that Pierce hadn't set all of that up for her, for them. Except he had.

She had been willing to pretend she hadn't noticed any of that. She had been willing to allow him to save face. She hadn't wanted to compromise their professional relationship. She hadn't been willing to compromise her marriage vows either though. That had shocked him.

 _December 5, 1996_  
 _"What I don't see is what exactly there is to betray. You and Alan are married in name only. You can't deny that you return my feelings!" Pierce challenged._

 _Monica shivered at his words. She and Alan had drifted apart, she wouldn't deny that. A lot had happened in the past three years-her tumor, the autoimmune nightmare that followed that, Paige's death and Emily coming into their family. Then there had been Hal and Jan's death, Jason's determination to pull away from their family, and Steve Hardy's death. None of that had been easy and although she and Alan had somehow come through all of it was hard to say they had really come through it together. Yet, Alan was still her husband. "This is ridiculous, Pierce! I'm married to Alan and I love him," she finally said._

 _Pierce raised an eyebrow as if he couldn't possibly believe that. "Do you? " he asked._

 _Dr. Alan Quartermaine was a complex man. In spite of his goofy sense of humor he was really a brilliant surgeon. Beyond that he was a wonderful, gentle, kind compassionate man. He was the father of her children. He was a good father, he really was. He was a good husband too, when she let him be._

 _"Yes, I do! Now, I think you should take me back to pick up my car . We can discuss that patient tomorrow, at the hospital," Monica said. She reached for her coat that Pierce had draped over the back of the couch and started to slip into it._

 _"So, now you're running away from your feelings?"_

 _"I'm not running from anything. It's been a long day and I'd like to get home and check on my children, now, will you please take me back to pick up my car?"_

 _Pierce looked incredulous. "So, you're going to lie to my face now? Or is this your idea of foreplay?" Pierce smiled. "Antagonism is like foreplay for you, Monica, isn't it?" he asked._

 _Monica gasped involuntarily. It wasn't so much the comment, although that was clearly inappropriate. It was more the evil, almost psychotic gleam in Pierce's eyes. That scared her. She reached for her purse and clutched it tightly. "Perhaps I should call Alan for a ride. I'll just tell him you had car issues or something," she said._

 _"I think you're just afraid that once you've had a Pierce Dorman experience everything, and everyone, else will pale in comparison. It is a common fear, but we can work through that."_

 _Monica resisted the urge to laugh. She knew Pierce was cocky, some of that just went with the territory for interventional cardiologists. She had told Alan that when she had been trying to smooth over what she had, at least at the time, believed to be a true misunderstanding. Alan had argued that good physicians had a confidence to competence ratio slightly below one. With that thought she turned away and started to open her purse for her cell. As her fingers curled around the phone she felt warm breath on the back of her neck as Pierce wrapped his arms around her shoulders and spun her around to face him. His lips met hers._

 _Monica pulled back from the kiss. She saw anger flash in Pierce's eyes and adrenaline carried her across the room and out the door. As she was running down Pierce's driveway she briefly wondered if she was overreacting, but her instincts only caused her to run faster. She came out on Mountain Road and turned to head down the mountain._

 _Eventually about a mile down the road she became somewhat assured Pierce wasn't following after her. She slowed, then stopped, caught her breath, and pulled out her cell phone. She frowned when she realized it had no signal. To make matters worse it was still snowing and Mountain Road was really an access road to the scenic overlook at the peak of Mt. Kisco. The few houses along it were sparse and spread out. She might be trudging miles in a snowstorm. It was a minor miracle that she had selected a pants suit and flats when dressing earlier._

 _Five minutes into her trek she heard the sound of an engine. She tensed as she worried she had been too hasty to conclude Pierce would just let her flee into the snowstorm. Yet when she turned her head slightly she saw a motorcycle coming through the snow. She was quite certain Pierce didn't own a motorcycle, but she still took a step back almost into the road ditch as the bike slowed and then stopped beside her._

 _"Jason? What are you doing out here?" she asked when she saw her nephew who was really technically not her nephew. He was the son of her husband's cousin who had lived with her inlaws during his teens. For that reason Alan and Hal had always had more of sibling relationship . Hal and his wife Jan had made Alan Jason's godfather, and Edward Quartermaine had always considered Jason as much a grandson as he did the children of his three children. Unfortunately, all of that had changed after Jason's parents were killed by a drunk driver. The accident left Jason with traumatic brain injury and without any memories of his connection to the Quartermaine family. It had been nearly nine months since Jason had stormed out of their home for the final time._

 _Jason shrugged his shoulders in his leather jacket. "Do you want a ride or not?" he asked._

 _"Yes, yes, a ride would be great, thank you."_

That night, as she had ridden on the back of Jason's motorcycle, she had tried to reassure herself that it was over. Except she had known it couldn't be. She would still have to face Pierce in the morning. They would have to continue to work together and she would have to tell Alan what could have, but hadn't, happened. Somewhat surprisingly the latter had been the catalyst they had needed to make a real effort to put their marriage back together. She and Alan had been through a lot in the ten months that had followed but, unlike the preceding three years, they had not only come through it, but they had truly come through it together.

She smiled at that thought as she made her way back into the Cardiac Care Unit and sat down to write post procedure orders for her patient. Just as she was signing the orders she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to look up into the eyes of her husband.

Alan smiled. "I'm done for the day and about to go change over to Dr. Breslin. Do you need me to take care of anything on my way home?"

"No, AJ said he would pick up Alli and Em after their practices. Perhaps he will get them in the right frame of mind for tonight," Monica said.

Alan raised an eyebrow. "Which would be what?"

"That we will always support Ned and, by extension, his wife. AJ said that was the gist of your sister's speech at the reception," Monica said. Their oldest son had been Ned's best man, as well as the lone representative from their immediate family, at his recent wedding. If her nephew had announced his impending nuptials even forty-eight hours before they happened she might have felt badly about missing the event. But he hadn't, and she and Alan had both been on call part of the previous weekend so flying off to Florida to witness Caroline Benson becoming Ned's third wife hadn't been an option.

"Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Ned," Alan said.

Monica couldn't really believe that somehow, but she decided not to verbalize that. "I really should make my afternoon rounds so I can get out of here and get ready for tonight," she said.

"I'll see you at home then. If you're efficient, perhaps we can honor one of our favorite traditions," Alan said.

Monica closed the chart she had been writing in and stood. "I think I've been provided with excellent motivation. I'll see you at home," she said.

Alan winked. "I'll be waiting," he said.


	4. Chapter 3: Deceptive Moments

At the Baldwin, Jordan, & Baldwin Law Firm, Scott Baldwin looked at the barely legible return phone number which consisted of only six digits and then leaned back in his chair with frustration. He hated to admit that he was starting to miss being a lowly public servant. At least when he had been an underpaid county prosecutor he had a paralegal and a secretary. As the newest partner at his father's firm with Tom Jordan he had some work study student from PC High, Tiffany Peterson.

Tiffany was sixteen and apparently, or perhaps allegedly, aspired to a career in law. To say that Scott couldn't envision her ever becoming a great legal eagle would be an overly kind understatement of her lack of aptitude. A more accurate assessment would be that his youngest daughter would probably be a more competent assistant. Heck, his younger sister Monica's youngest daughter would probably be an improvement over Tiffany. Serena was five and his youngest niece, Katelyn, would be four in another six months.

That she would be four, not that she was actually three, was what Katelyn told anyone who asked how old she was. Scott suspected she had inherited, or perhaps learned, that life approach that from her mother. Monica had always been motivated and driven; she was three years younger but she had finished medical school before he even started law school. She had graduated from high school early and then done some combined undergrad and medical school program. In contrast, he had kind of taken the scenic route through college while majoring in sociology and broken hearts.

He got it together eventually, he even passed the challenging New York state bar on the first try. His father thought all of that was another reason that Scott should be more patient with Tiffany and her gum cracking ineptitude. Scott supposed that sounded good in theory but, in practice, it was beyond frustrating to have an assistant who was unable to take a simple phone message or make a photocopy. With that thought, Scott released another frustrated sigh and then depressed the intercom button on his phone. "Tiffany, can you come in here for a moment?" he asked in as even a tone as he could muster.

Tiffany bopped into the room with earphones in her ears chewing a wad of gum. "Yeah," she mumbled.

"This phone message has only six digits," Scott said.

Tiffany gave him a blank stare. "Yeah, so?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders.

 _So that isn't going to get me any closer to reaching Judge Casto at his fishing cabin on Kemp Lake than I was before he returned my call!_ As obvious as that explanation was Scott was quite certain that it would be lost on Tiffany so he took another deep breath and asked, "Did you write the number down somewhere else first and then copy it to the message slip?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes and popped the bubble she had blown in a synchronous motion. She rolled her eyes again and then released her own frustrated sigh. "I have better things to do than copy you know," she before she turned quickly and flounced out of his office.

Scott just shook his head. Suddenly he wished he had picked up on Danielle's hints that she was looking for a job and hired her. But he hadn't, so he was stuck with Tiffany and partial call back numbers. Life just stunk sometimes.

XXXXXXXX

Deception Cosmetics Chief Operating Officer, Amy Elizabeth Morgan grabbed the laptop case from her desk and started out of her office. It was time to turn from cosmetics mogul to chauffeur. Her big sister, Chloe, was flying all the way in from Milan to attend the reception their great aunt Lila was hosting, for their cousin Ned and his newest wife, and someone had to pick her up at the airport.

Caroline Benson had become the third Mrs. Ned Ashton a week earlier but most of the family, including Lila Quartermaine, hadn't been able to attend the ceremony in Florida. So Lila had arranged a formal dinner at the Port Charles Grille to welcome Ned and Carly back to Port Charles after their honeymoon. In theory that was a great idea. In practice, in Port Charles, it was very rare for a major social event to end without scandal, destruction, death, or, more likely, some combination of the aforementioned three. Amy knew that all too well, she had witnessed more than her share in the thirteen months she had lived in Port Charles.

Unlike her cousin, Amy was not a Port Charles native. After his older sister, Lila, married Edward Quartermaine, and his older brother, Harold Jr, perished in a 1961 hotel fire; her grandfather had inherited the Morgan Manufacturing Plant and the original Morgan Estate in Oyster Bay, NY. An artist by training and passion, Joshua Morgan had considered his inheritance more of an albatross than a gift. Fortunately his wife Inez had a latent knack for business and their son had inherited her business mind and skill set.

Phillip Morgan had assumed full control of the company after he finished his MBA in 1973. Chloe had been almost three and she was born later that year. Exactly what was going to happen when her father was ready to retire was the unanswered question. Five years ago there had been a lot of hope that her cousin Jason, the grandson of Harold Morgan Jr. might be interested in the company. He had been taking a few business classes at PCU then. But ultimately he ended up graduating with a degree in criminal justice and became a Boston PD Detective in 1995. Amy had been able to tell her father had been disappointed by Jason's career path. There was this unspoken mantra that the company must be passed down in the family and suddenly his anticipated successor had found his own path.

Amy also remembered her mother's random comment that there were worse things Jason could do than pursue a career in law enforcement. Actually, Amy was sure her mother had been a bit quietly proud, her own father had been a former police captain. Of course none of them had realized how telling her mother's comment actually was. Less than a year after he had made detective her cousin left behind a promising career in law enforcement to be Sonny Corinthos's hired gun. Amy knew that was an oversimplified explanation but she couldn't do much better than that because there was so much about the whole situation that didn't make sense and she doubted it ever would.

She had been in California when the accident, that had killed HJ and Jan Morgan and left their son with traumatic brain injury, had happened. After her own college graduation in 1995 she had taken a designer position with Forrester Creations in Los Angelos. It wasn't exactly Milan but she hadn't studied design at the Sorbonne in Paris either, as Chloe had. She also hadn't wanted to use her big sister's connections to get her first job. She had wanted to do it on her own. She had too, at least in the beginning.

Then things got complicated and messy. Then her focus shifted from making her way in the fashion world to surviving. That was when she had needed to rely on her cousin to get her second job. That was when Ned had hired her at Deception Cosmetics. He was a good older cousin, but there was more. After she had told him all that had really happened in LA, he had told her a secret that he had shared only with Lois who had left him and filed for divorce immediately after. Then Amy had understood exactly why Ned needed her at Deceptions much more than she really needed to be there. Somehow that had made it mostly ok. Or at least she tried to tell herself that, Amy thought with a sigh as she pulled her office door closed and turned the key in the lock.

Her assistant, Danielle, turned to face her as she stepped away from her office door. "Did you need anything else before you left?" she asked.

Danielle had only worked at Deception for a few months. She had been hired to replace yet another, at least the eighth since Amy had joined Deceptions, secretary who had gotten fed up with their CEO Katherine Bell and refused to work for her. Since honest, accurate, self reflection wasn't one of Katherine's strengths she hadn't realized that perhaps she needed to alter her behavior. Instead she had snatched up Amy's personal assistant and moved on. The fact that Amy no longer had an assistant had then hardly been Katherine's concern. As had become a familiar pattern, Amy had just listed the position and started interviewing candidates.

That had brought her to Danielle Ashley, an actress who had discovered that Port Charles was a long way from Broadway only after she had agreed to move to be closer to her fiancé, Dr. Jake Marshak, an intern at Port Charles General Hospital. She had also learned that intern salaries weren't much above minimum wage. So, she was looking for something to pay the bills until Jake transferred to Cornell Wyle or she found a passion for something besides acting, ideally something that was more geographically compatible with upstate New York.

It had sounded good, plus she hadn't really had any other promising candidates, so she had given Danielle the job. So far she wasn't regretting that decision. So far…

"No, but remember I'm taking Monday morning off since my sister will be here. Ideally you will work on putting the packets together for Friday's shareholder's meeting. If anything truly pressing comes up just call my cell."

Danielle looked a little sad for a moment. She seemed to force an uncomfortable smile. "That's cool that you're so close," she said.

"We're sisters," Amy said quickly. "Well, I should go, Chloe's plane is supposed to get in at four and traffic will be horrendous getting over to the airport," she added. Then she slipped out the door in an effort to avoid thinking about all the distance she had introduced into her relationship with Chloe. Chloe had no idea what had happened in LA or why she had suddenly decided to make a sort of lateral move into the cosmetic industry. Amy wasn't really planning on enlightening her over the long weekend either.

XXXXXXXX

As he lay in bed with his lover, Rex Stanton realized he might actually be falling in love. He had originally pursued Lucy Coe as a means to an end, but over the past few months her flamboyance had appealed to him. Her quirks were becoming endearing rather than merely tolerated out of necessity. He would ask her to marry him soon. That was all part of the plan but he had a feeling that he might enjoy wedded bliss more than he had imagined.

Lucy first stirred in her sleep and then began to stretch and awaken. She looked at him first, but then at the clock at which point her brows seems to knit themselves into a frown of frustration. She took a deep breath in and then exhaled. "Rex, you promised we wouldn't lose another entire day in bed," she said with a finishing pout.

Rex sat up and then pulled her back toward him to lie against his chest. When she curled into his embrace he decided she couldn't be too mad. "We haven't lost an entire day it's only half past noon on the west coast," Rex said.

Lucy tilted her chin to look up at him. She brightened slightly and then frowned again. "But it must be at least seven or eight in Paris and I thought you were going to contact your friends there."

"Oh that has already been taken care of," Rex said.

Lucy's eyes widened. She sat up all the way and pulled away from him slightly. Then she looked fully into his eyes with what Rex thought was love. "It has?" she asked.

"Of course, Temptation Designs will be represented at Fashion Week in November in Paris."

"My designs at Fashion Week? In November! In Paris! Paris, France right? Because I've heard there is a Paris in Texas. Kathy and Mac went there looking for Damian but by then he had high tailed it back to good old Port Charles. My designs at Fashion Week! In Paris! Paris, France. Oh what will I wear? I'll have to design something, something new, something that says Lucy Coe has arrived!"

"Well there is plenty of time for that. In the meantime, why don't we just pick up where we left off?" Rex asked.

In moments, Lucy was back in his arms and they were halfway to ephemeral bliss. Rex smiled. Lucy was definitely very nubile, and definitely even more naïve. He liked both, but it was the latter that would ensure his final plan went all the way to completion. That was most important, and he would not lose sight of that.

XXXXXXXX

Ali Barrington climbed into her boyfriend Jamal's jeep after cheering practice, leaned over the gearshift and brought her lips to his. Jamal pulled her closer to him as they kissed and for a few moments she was almost oblivious to anything, or anyone.

Only almost though because the sound of her newest best friend, Sarah Webber, clearing her throat with more disgust than amusement did eventually reach her. She kissed Jamal once more and then pulled back slightly. She met his disappointment with a seductive wink. "We're giving Sarah a ride, I'll make it up to you later," she promised.

Sarah looked a bit put upon but she did climb into the back of Jamal's jeep. Jamal gave Ali another a look but didn't say anything as he peeled out of the parking lot behind the field house.

Sometimes Ali wondered if Sarah's prude act was more real than just for her grandmother's benefit. After all Sarah was Audrey Hardy's granddaughter.. Of course, Ali's own grandmother had once mentioned that Audrey March's prude act had been exactly that, an act, so perhaps that didn't fit at all. Of course it seemed that Audrey had really perfected the act over the years so perhaps Sarah had learned from her grandmother's influences. Ali leaned over and kissed Jamal's neck and his frown melted a bit. "Bring Zander tonight, Sarah thinks he's cute," she said.

"Ali!" Sarah shrieked.

"Oh please, you can't expect anyone except for your grandmother to possibly believe that you're actually interested in his royal dorkiness. Sure he's nice to drag to formal family functions but you need someone a little more fun for like everyday use. Anyway, Zander has connections," Ali said.

"What kind of connections?" Sarah asked.

"He's the one who brought the Ecstasy to the last party. Just see what happens," Ali said.

"I'm telling Grams that I'm sleeping over at your house so we can work on the history project. She's going to some party the Quartermaines are throwing, so make sure your parents think I'm sleeping over too in case they happen to be at the same party," Sarah said.

For a brief moment Ali wondered if she wouldn't be so out of control if her mother cared enough to have a clue about what she was actually doing. Perhaps she would just be as sneaky as Sarah and it wouldn't really change anything. She supposed it didn't really matter because it wasn't like Elizabeth Barrington was suddenly going to care. Her grandmother cared. Yet, Ali knew that Amanda Barrington would be horrified if she knew about the drugs and the raves that were the staple of her granddaughter's life. Ali couldn't bear to see that disappointment in her grandmother's eyes so she tried to be a little discreet. She tried to tell herself that what her grandmother didn't know was much better for her blood pressure. Her grandfather had died from some horrible stroke before she was born so she really didn't want to push her grandmother to the same fate.

"Ok, I'll do that," Ali said with a roll of her eyes. "Tonight is going to be great! My friend JR is coming down from Philly, I'm fixing him up with Tiff," she added. Tiffany Peterson had been her best friend before Sarah came to stay with her grandmother. It wasn't exactly that she had chosen Sarah over Tiffany it was more that Mr. Peterson thought that forcing Tiffany to find a job would make her responsible. What it had actually done was really cut into their time to just hang. Ali missed that.

"JR, were his parents fans of eighties television?" Sarah asked.

Ali wrinkled her face. _What?_ "Maybe, they're about as self absorbed as Mal and Elizabeth so I wouldn't know. He's named for his father though, Adam Chandler Jr. Being called Junior got kind of old so he became JR a few years ago. He thought it sounded better. I have to agree."

Sarah didn't look like she agreed but she didn't say that. "So how did you meet this guy?" she asked.

"Summer camp at Big Bear. We both got banished there for the whole summer in 1996. It actually wasn't so bad, there isn't a lot of supervision if you know what I mean. It's kind of like the lifestyles of the teens of the rich and dysfunctional. Now that would be a better reality series than that real world crap."

Sarah laughed.

"No, I'm serious, this one guy he's the son of this fashion designer who is old enough to be his grandfather. I'm not just saying that either. Like his mother was engaged to his father's oldest son. Apparently that loser, left her so she got all doped up on pills that she washed down with a lot of vodka and passed out. Her almost father in law snuck into the guest room and started sexing her up. It sounds like rape to me, in fact I mentioned that. That didn't go over so well. He practically turned into some wide eyed killer. Actually that was when I met JR he helped me escape stage left I guess you could say," Ali said.

"So, I guess that was why you decided not to go back this year?" Sarah asked.

"Not exactly, psycho boy was too busy doing his nanny so he wouldn't have been attending. His sister Bridget and I still email some. I didn't want to be separated from Jamal for a whole summer, I would have died. Not that Elizabeth would have cared and you know Malcolm only cares about the bottom line at Barrington Jewelers so I just signed up for that summer SAT prep course. That was actually brilliant because suddenly Malcolm is convinced I'm focused on my education. Maybe he won't have to donate a building to get me into college like he did with Ashley," Ali finished.

Sarah laughed again. Somehow that bothered Ali more than she could really explain.


	5. Chapter 4: Prelude to Disaster

Katherine Bell stretched out in the claw foot bath tub in her suite at the Port Charles Hotel. As she luxuriated, beneath a mound of bubbles, she contemplated her evening with Stefan. He had requested she dine with him at Wyndamere, alone. Nikolas and, the ever-annoying sniveling, Alexis would be attending some Quartermaine party at the Port Charles Grille. Somehow her invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, but Katherine hardly cared. She had a distinct feeling that in just a few more hours she might be engaged into true aristocracy. Stefan had inferred he had something very important to discuss and Katherine could only imagine one thing-a marriage proposal.

As she soaked, Katherine envisioned Stefan down on one knee with the Cassadine Family heirloom she had seen in pictures. Soon it would be hers. That thought brought a genuine smile to her face as she sunk back deeper into the bubbles and imagined Stefan's proposal.

XXXXXXXX

In the courthouse on the Port Charles Square, Assistant District Attorney Chase Benedict Murdoch III tore another sheet from his legal pad in frustration, wadded it up, and tossed it in the direction of the wastebasket. It landed securely inside the basket without a sound. It was well cushioned by the twenty sheets that had preceded it. He estimated that there were less than one hundred hours before he would have to start trying to convince the good people of Chapparal County that Kaylee Reynolds was Dr. Pierce Dorman's killer. He figured that was going to be a hard sell since, honestly, he had yet to convince himself.

The truth was that there were more than a few holes in the people's case but somehow Judge Wyatt had signed off on the arrest warrant three months earlier and a grand jury had returned an indictment. So, the wheels of justice continued to spin, and it had become his job to use the assembled evidence to paint a picture of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He knew the drill. He had been a Chapparal County prosecutor for four years but long before his graduation from Cornell University's College of Law he had been Chase Murdoch's grandson.

His grandfather, the original Chase Benedict Murdoch, had been the Chapparal County DA for almost thirteen years from his election in November 1966 until his death in July 1979. His grandfather had been a prosecutor's prosecutor. Those had been the words used by Port Charles Herald Editor in Chief, Tom Everett, in an editorial published the day after his grandfather's death that had read like an eulogy. Apparently, it had also been a backhanded jab at his grandfather's successor, Mitch Williams, who the Everett brothers felt was more of politician than a public servant. Perhaps they had been right as DA Williams had run for Attorney General in 1980.

Chase only vaguely remembered that election. He had turned thirteen that October and Mitch Williams had been engaged to his friend Ned's mom. In January Mitch had moved to Albany, alone, to become the next New York State Attorney General and the engagement had disintegrated shortly after that. Or that was what Ned had said at the time. Some other people had suggested that perhaps Mitch's romance with Tracy Quartermaine hadn't been much more than a campaign strategy. Chase had been thirteen, so he hadn't really cared if Ned hadn't cared, and Ned hadn't seemed to care. Perhaps seemed had been the operative word.

By the next January their friend Austin Taylor had died from a drug overdose and Ned had been sent off to some boarding school in Vermont. The Quartermaines swore the two events were unrelated even if the timing was more than a little suspect. They had still gotten together over school vacations and holidays some, but it wasn't really the same.

Then their childhood friendship had somehow resurrected itself in adulthood when they spent a summer clerking for the same US Attorney, Ned's Aunt, Abigail Donely Quartermaine. They were at rival law schools -Harvard and Cornell- but they made it through the summer without too much ribbing and reconnected as friends. That winter when they were both home for the holidays Ned had introduced Chase to the petite brunette who had just walked into his office, Melissa McKee Murdoch.

Chase closed the case file in front of him. "This is a pleasant surprise," he said.

Melissa set several bags from Wyndams down in the chair in front of his desk with a sigh. "Don't tell me you forgot about Ned and Carly's party tonight! He's your friend!"

Chase decided not to point out that it was Melissa who had crushed on Dr. Monica Quartermaine's nephew during her nursing school days. Three years had apparently been an insurmountable age gap when she had been eighteen, at least for Ned. Chase had a feeling it might not have been when she had been twenty-one but by then Ned had convinced himself he loved Jenny.

Ned and Jenny had married on May Day, complete with a May Pole, in 1993. However, by the time Ned stood up for him when he married Melissa the following summer, he had already moved on to marriage number two with Lois Cerullo. That marriage had lasted longer -almost three years- but divorce number two had been finalized at the end of 1996 and apparently wedding number three had happened the prior weekend in Florida.

"There is no way I am going to this thing without you, so I guess you can just make your apologies on the tennis court later and I'll tell Betsy I can cover her shift tonight after all," Melissa said.

"I didn't forget about Ned's reception tonight, but that isn't for hours," Chase defended.

Melissa rolled her eyes. "It is already four and dinner is being served at seven. So, since it always takes you longer to get ready to go anywhere than any woman I know, even Amy Vining, we're probably already cutting it close," she said.

Chase knew his wife's expression was supposed to convey frustration, but it was also looking pretty darn seductive to him. Suddenly he was in a hurry to get home, but it had nothing to do with getting ready for Ned's party. He tossed a few files into his briefcase, turned off his computer, and reached for the pile of bags in his chair. "Lead the way," he said as he hit the light and pulled the door shut behind him.

XXXXXXXX

In his mahogany paneled study at Wyndamere, Stefan Cassadine reviewed again the documents his cousin Alexis had provided. As he turned another page he hoped for some alternative explanation, something, anything, that would show him that he had not consummated a relationship with a woman who was his half-sister.

When Alexis had come to him with her suspicions and concerns he had not wanted to believe. When they had stood at the empty grave created as a cover for Natasha Nillson he had still held some fervent hope that there could be another explanation. Even when he had planned for a final dinner with Katherine at Wyndamere he had yearned to find something in the file that would grant him a stay.

After twenty minutes, and two cognacs, Stefan could only close the file with a sense of futility and impending doom. There wasn't an alternative explanation. His lover Katherine Bell was indeed the illegitimate child of Kristen Nillson and Mikkos Cassadine.

Stefan drained his glass with a final melancholic gulp. He had unwittingly perpetuated and promulgated the line of incest that was far from uncommon within royal lineages, especially those of Russian Nobility. That would end tonight, as would his relationship with Katherine Bell.

XXXXXXXX

In the House Staff Lounge, at Port Charles General Hospital, Dr. Evelyn Lambert collapsed onto the couch and pulled a stack of index cards from the pocket of her long white coat.

"Don't even think about it!" Dr. Chris Ramsey called as he came out of the attached bathroom.

Eve shrugged her shoulders but didn't look up from the cards she was shuffling through. "Am I supposed to have any idea what you're complaining about now?" she asked.

Chris smirked as he sat down at the other end of the couch. "When Jake comes through that door he's mine," he said.

Eve laughed. "I don't know, Ramsey, I think Danielle might have a problem with that."

"Ha-Ha! Very funny, I am changing over first. Why are you in such a hurry anyway? Another hot date with Karen's dad?" Chris asked.

Eve let Chris's question go. She did have plans with Scott, but everything got so much messier when she was reminded that Scott was the father of one of her fellow interns, the brother of the cardiologist she would be rotating with in another month, and the brother in law of the hospital Chief of Staff, Dr. Alan Quartermaine. Somehow everything had been a lot easier when Scott was just some guy who signed himself out against medical advice with a head injury because his five-year-old daughter was missing.

"So, is that a yes?" Chris asked as the door opened, and Dr. Karen Baldwin-Cates joined them.

Eve sent a strong glare in Chris's direction. It wasn't exactly like Karen didn't know about her relationship, whatever it was, with her father. Even so, it still wasn't really something she wanted to discuss with her, or in front of her, and Chris wasn't stupid.

"Who is on call tonight?" Karen asked as she sat down.

"Jake is, and Chris has already claimed his place at the front of the changeover line," Eve said. She figured she could toss Chris a bone for his silence.

Karen glanced at her watch. "I promised my dad I'd pick Serena up from ballet at five. We're having a sister's night."

Chris offered his practically patented scowl but didn't actually voice the disparaging comment that Eve sensed was on the tip of his tongue. Instead he glanced at his watch and then raised his eyes again. "What part of changeover is at 4:30 is so hard for Jake to grasp?" he asked.

"Good grief, Ramsey, if I didn't know better I would think you had some hot date," Eve said. She smiled for a moment. "You do have some hot date!"

Eve could tell from the brief flicker in Chris's eyes that she was right. Perhaps he had finally accepted that Julie wasn't interested and moved on….perhaps?

"So, who is the lucky woman?" Karen asked.

"So, you're buying into Lambert's delusions. What would your grandmother think of that, now, Karen?" Chris asked.

Eve decided not to point out that Dr. Gail Baldwin, a psychiatrist who seemed like she should be at least in her mid-sixties, seemed pretty sharp and probably saw right through Chris. She also decided not to question whether someone spending an evening with Chris would actually be lucky. She had felt anything but lucky when he dragged her to dinner with their attending mentors. Chris had called her on that. Or at least in a way he had.

 _June 21, 1997_

 _Dr. Eve Lambert frowned as her new colleague stopped for a light on Tower Road. They were on their way to dinner with their attending mentors, who just happened to be married to each other._

 _Dr. Chris Ramsey smirked at her just as the light started to change. "You know it wouldn't kill you to smile," he said. "Or to thank me for giving you a ride," he added._

 _"Actually, I was going to claim I didn't have a ride and, therefore, I couldn't go," Eve protested. She turned her head away and looked out the window._

 _"I think it's usually poor form to turn down a dinner invitation by the Chief of Staff before orientation is over. Of course, maybe they did things differently at SUNY Downstate."_

 _"They stopped calling it SUNY Downstate years ago. It's the Health Sciences Center-Brooklyn. Anyway, we don't all have trust funds to be able to go to private medical schools like University of Chicago Pritzker."_

 _"I have loans like everyone else, Lambert."_

 _"Probably not everyone else. I doubt Julie or Karen do," Eve said._

 _Dr. Julie Devlin had a father who was a wealthy cardiologist. Dr. Karen Baldwin-Cates had a father who was an even wealthier attorney. In contrast, Eve had never met her own father. She and her little sister, Shelly, had worked for everything they had ever received. But that wasn't what was weighing most heavily on her mind. That all stemmed from her fear that she did know Julie's father._

 _"Well, Julie wants to do Pediatrics and Karen used to take her clothes off for money, so you really don't have to worry about either of them," Chris suggested/_

 _"This is all a game to you isn't it? It's like you're playing elimination or something. What did you do to get Dr. Quartermaine assigned as your mentor? Break into the computer system or something?"_

 _"You know there are only two surgery spots for next year and, since everyone except for Julie wants to do surgery, you might not want to chastise me for scoping out the competition and see if I was willing to help you out."_

 _"If I need your help to get a surgery residency then maybe I don't want it that badly. Anyway, I'm not so sure I even want to do surgery."_

 _"Then why did you tell Dr. Boardman you did?"_

 _"Because I've considered it. If I decide I want to do it later then I will look committed, and if I decide I want to do something else most other specialties are more forgiving."_

 _"So much for never lying," Chris quipped as he pulled into the driveway at 1866 Lilac Drive._

 _"I didn't lie. I said I was leaning towards surgery but felt I needed to have a well-rounded internship to make me more balanced. I had forgotten how big their house was," Eve said as Chris parked at the top of the driveway._

 _"You've been here before?"_

 _"I lived in Moriches when I was younger. We moved to the Bronx when I was nine. But we used to come and look at the Christmas lights in Port Charles."_

 _"I didn't know you were a Port Charles native. How come you aren't all chummy with Karen and Joe then?"_

 _"Like I said I lived in Moriches. If you picture the warehouse district and make it slummier that's Moriches. Most of Port Charles International Airport is in Moriches. Other than that, welcome to the ghetto. Anyway, we moved when I was nine," Eve said. Her mother and sister had moved back to Moriches the summer before she started college but there were a lot of reasons she didn't want anyone to know that._

 _"It can't have been that bad," Chris said as they got out of the car.. "There were even a few apartments I looked at that were there."_

 _"Yes, and I notice that you aren't living in any of those apartments now, are you? Do you remember what their kids' names are?"_

 _"I thought you didn't believe in kissing up to the Drs. Quartermaine," Chris chided as they walked across the inlaid stone path that led to the front door._

 _"I think remembering their kids' names is more respecting their children as individuals than kissing up," Eve said._

 _Chris shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so."_

 _"I do!" Eve asserted moments before Dr. Monica Quartermaine pulled open the front door to the Quartermaine Mansion._

It had been over three months since that dinner with the Quartermaines and a lot had happened. She had met Karen's father, and allowed him to sign out against medical advice. Dr. Tony Jones hadn't been too happy about that although somehow, he hadn't been concerned enough to come down to the ER and see the patient. When that last tidbit had been revealed, then Dr. Alan Quartermaine had felt that was critical issue and somehow, she had been out of the hot seat, at least temporarily. Of course, Dr. Jones hadn't really appreciated the reprimand from his Chief of Staff and had been anything but pleasant to work with for the remainder of her neurosurgery rotation.

Eventually the rotation had ended. Of course, then it had only gotten worse. Her apartment mate's dad had offered to take them all out to dinner. At face value that should have seemed like a good thing. On an intern's salary a free meal was hardly something to turn down. So, she hadn't. Yet, when she walked into Mario's and realized that Julie's father was indeed the man of her nightmares she wished she had. That was when everything had seemed to fade to black.

She had covered and claimed that she was just overtired. Chris had given her a ride home, on the pretense that he had to make sure she was alright because Dr. Larmon hated him enough to make him pick up all of her ER shifts. It had sounded good. She had even tried to convince herself it would be ok until the next day when Dr. Devlin dragged her into an empty stairwell. That had been far too much like the situation she had found herself in two years earlier and she suspected he knew that. The sad irony was that even two years later, even after he had been fired, he still had the upper hand and they both knew that. In that moment, internship had turned into medical school all over.

The sound of the door opening pulled Eve from her thoughts and she looked up to see Jake walk through the door looking much more like he was post call than pre-call. She supposed a month with Dr. Burgess could do that to someone. Somehow her luck had changed, at least briefly, and she had been assigned to work with Dr. Bryan Phillips who predominantly practiced in a waterfront clinic on the Port Charles side of Traverse Pike. He admitted his own patients to the hospital though and actually had a quite busy IM service. It hadn't been an easy month but he treated her with respect and seemed to think she was growing into a fine internist. She had even started to wonder if perhaps she wanted to become an internist.

"Well, it's about time," Chris said as he swiftly passed a stack of index cards to Jake.

"Dr. Burgess said admissions take priority over change over," Jake said.

"Well tell her to tell that to the Bell Commission because my clock is ticking here, and my thirty hours are almost up," Chris fired back.

"You better talk fast, and leave out the editorial comments, then, Ramsey!" Eve said.

Jake passed Eve a tired smile.

Chris rolled his eyes quickly in her direction and then turned back to Jake and started briefing him on his patients.


	6. Chapter 5: The Story of Her Life

Brenda Barrett stood in front of the closet in her suite in the East Wing of the Quartermaine Mansion and exhaled with frustration. She had a closet full of clothes and nothing she really wanted to wear. If only that could be a good excuse to skip Ned and Carly's reception, then she would have something. Except it wasn't, so she didn't. That was kind of the story of her life.

As her cell phone started to ring she slid another rejected dress back into the closet and reached for the phone that laid on the top of her dresser. "Hello," she said as she started to rifle through her closet again.

"Brenda, it's Miguel."

"Miguel! Where are you?"

"I'm calling you from Caracas," Miguel said.

"Is that the final stop on your South American tour?" Brenda asked. Technically her best friend was still Miguel's agent but recently Lois had turned most of the day to day aspects of Bensonhurst Records over to some new studio executive, Tucker McCall. Miguel's current tour had been arranged by some music mogul Frank Zapata and Brenda had a sense that Lois wasn't much more up on the details of his itinerary than she was.

"Not exactly, on Sunday I travel to San Cristobal and then on to Brazil. I won't be back in the states until the end of October."

"Oh, somehow I didn't realize your tour was quite so long. I was kind of hoping you would come with me to that benefit for the Stone Cates Memorial Wing. I don't really want to bring Jax and Ned had another momentary lapse and decided to marry Carly. So, I guess, he will be taking her."

"That is part of why I'm calling you. Where did Ned and Carly register? I wanted to send a gift, but my assistant couldn't find a registry listing."

"You have an assistant?" Brenda asked. She abandoned her dress search, sunk down to the loveseat in her room, and brought her knees up to her chin.

"Yes, Candy, she means well," Miguel said.

"But she's kind of clueless?"

"You could say that. That new studio executive guy hired her. He saw something in her I'm missing at the moment."

Brenda laughed. Diplomacy was Miguel's middle name, well, unless it came to Sonny but that was not a direction she wanted the conversation to go in. "Perhaps he likes his women clueless, some guys do," she said.

Her father would probably fit into that category. She had heard her sister Julia referring to her father's last two wives as dumb and dumber. Brenda supposed that made her the daughter of dumb and it was hard to find a way to not make those words hurt. Of course, Julia wouldn't understand that and would just claim that she was overly sensitive. Perhaps…

"I hadn't considered that. So, any ideas on what I should send Ned as a wedding gift?"

"A good divorce attorney, one who will work out something that gives him more time with the child Carly is carrying than he's had with Brooke Lynn since Lois left him."

"I thought you were the one who said that was between Ned and Lois."

"Yeah, well, when I said that I think I was still hoping Lois would come to her senses and give Ned another chance. She hasn't. I guess that really is between her and Ned but, as Brooke Lynn's godmother, I have certain responsibilities."

"Somehow I'm guessing you're talking about something more than helping her find her place in the Catholic Church."

"I'll leave that to Sonny. He actually is Catholic. I was thinking about her relationship with her more earthly father, you know, Ned."

"It hurt him when he saw her run to Sonny before your wedding rehearsal."

"It was more of an almost wedding rehearsal. Sonny had already delivered his tortured speech of martyrdom before Lois and Brooke Lynn arrived. I don't want to know if they coordinated that. But the point is that Brooke was running to Sonny because she saw him first not because she was rejecting Ned. I'm sure Lois didn't even tell her Ned would be there, probably because, for the first time, she was hoping for some ELQ Emergency that would send Ned off to London or something. I guess since it all blew up in my face it's very convenient he was around. Because uninviting hundreds of guests less than forty-eight hours before the intended ceremony takes some skill and talent."

"It could be worse," Miguel suggested.

"Maybe," Brenda said. But, honestly, she doubted that. Ned had gotten concerned when she had said she would rather be with Sonny than be safe. Fortunately, he hadn't passed that tidbit on to her older sister, Julia, because Brenda really hadn't wanted Julia to lecture her on her flare for the dramatic. What neither Ned or Julia would ever understand was that she loved Sonny. She still did. Sometimes she thought Miguel did understand that, even if he wished she could love anyone but Sonny. She would never mention any of that to the media, but she knew if she did they would presume that meant Miguel still had feelings for her. Yet, Brenda knew that what that really meant was that Miguel had never stopped loving Lily. She knew he hadn't.

Brenda remembered how Miguel had explained he had to let Lily go because he did love her, and they couldn't just keep hurting each other, that wasn't love. She hadn't wanted to believe that those words had applied to her relationship with Sonny, but it hadn't really mattered because she refused to be any man's mistress and Sonny had married Lily. She had brought Miguel as her date to their wedding. Lois had thought she did it to get Sonny's attention. Perhaps she had, although truly she thought it had been more of a move of acceptance. She had tried to explain that to Lois.

 _January 20, 1996_

 _Brenda Barrett smiled as her seventeen month old goddaughter toddled into the Quartermaine Mansion clutching her mother's hand. However, she could only laugh when she saw the dress her best friend was wearing. "Wow! That's almost as horrendous as the dress I had to wear when Harlan married wife number three."_

 _"No comment," Lois Cerullo-Ashton said as she started to remove Brooke Lynn's winter jacket. "Thanks for doing this, I didn't really want to leave her with the monster in law," she added._

 _"No problem, if Ned gets done courting those investors from Japan early he can pick her up or Miguel and I can meet him at the church."_

 _Lois raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you were bringing Miguel."_

 _"Who else would I bring? Perhaps Lily should have thought about that when she decided to invite me to her wedding just to rub my nose in it."_

 _"Bren, I get it, I really do and I'm really not any more enlightened on why Sonny is marrying her than he feels it is the right thing. Perhaps that means Brookie should be expecting a new baby cousin in less than nine months. But, the point is you can't just keep using Miguel to push Sonny's buttons," Lois said as she led Brooke Lynn through the foyer and into the parlor where the play pen was set up._

 _Brenda followed her friend. "You think that's what I'm doing?"_

 _"Aren't you?" Lois asked. She lifted Brooke Lynn up and set her down opposite her cousin Katelyn Quartermaine, Alan and Monica's youngest daughter who happened to be a few months older. "Play nicely with your cousin and remember if your great grandfather says ELQ you say No!"_

 _"No!" Brooke Lynn repeated as she reached for the phone Katelyn offered out in front of her._

 _Brenda smiled briefly at the interaction. She had taken child development the previous fall so she knew it was supposed to still be a little early for Brooke Lynn and Katelyn to play together, but apparently they had missed that memo because they did. Either that or they coincidentally never wanted the same toy at the same time so sharing was irrelevant. Perhaps that was it._

 _"That's my girl!" Lois said. She kissed the top of Brooke Lynn's head and then stood up fully. She turned to face Brenda. "There is juice and animal crackers in her bag, and an extra dress in case the one she is wearing gets ruined with that snack. I have Ned's spare cell phone in my purse if there is an emergency," she said as she started out of the room._

 _"Wait, we're not done! You can't just accuse me of that and then saunter out of here as if everything is fine," Brenda said._

 _"Brenda, I'm your friend and I know this has been hard for you, but I just don't really agree with how you are handling this and I do think it's going to all blow up in your face and poor Miguel is going to get caught in the crossfire and that's not fair to him, or even to you."_

 _"I can't believe you would think that! Miguel is my friend!"_

 _"Yes, and you know that has always made Sonny uncomfortable."_

 _"I think Sonny lost the right to have an opinion on my life when he kicked me out of his. As he said, he doesn't care what I do, or who, I do. For the record, Miguel and I aren't. Lily just presumed we were and ran tattling to Sonny. Apparently, that never gets old for her. The thing is that it doesn't go both ways. You can't expect me to accept that Lily and Sonny are together, and I need to let go and then fault me for moving on."_

 _Lois sighed audibly. "I'm not saying you don't have a right to move on. In fact, as much as it pains me to say this, I think that's exactly what you need to do. But there are tons of other guys in Port Charles, why does it have to be Miguel?" she asked._

 _"Why is there such a problem if it is? I like Miguel, he's kind, loving and, honestly, gorgeous. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in Sonny, and he hadn't been so in love with Lily, we probably would have gotten together a long time ago. No, contrary to Lily's insecure paranoia, we weren't sneaking around behind their back. We were just friends. Now we're a little more than friends and if that is hard for Lily or Sonny to handle then that isn't our problem. You say I'm your friend and you trust me so trust me on this. I didn't invite Miguel to this wedding to make Sonny jealous. I invited Miguel because he's the one who helped me see that sometimes you have to let go of the people you love before you destroy all the love that was ever there. That's why he let Lily go. I'm not quite as wise or strong but once Sonny says those vows then I believe he will honor them and if he breaks them it won't be with me. If that isn't enough then I guess that's just too bad."_

 _"Bren," Lois began._

 _Brenda cut her off. "You should go. You wouldn't want to be neglectful in your matron of honor duties."_

 _"You know I love you like a sister and I just don't want to see you get hurt." Lois said as she wrapped her arms around her._

 _"I know," Brenda whispered back. She smiled. "Seriously, making Lily into a beautiful bride could take hours. You really should go."_

 _Lois smiled back. "Take good care of my baby," she said as she reached for her coat ._

 _"Always," Brenda said as Lois went out the front door._

She had held Miguel's hand as they both watched the people they had dreamed about forever with pledge forever to someone else. Somehow with Miguel it was ok to still love Sonny because he still loved Lily. Anyone else would have been offended by the moments that took her back in time to a time when she was in Sonny's arms. Except Miguel wasn't partly because he understood, he had his own moments and his own memories of holding Lily in his arms in Puerto Rico before her father took a contract out on his life.

They had muddled on together. Their relationship really wasn't anything more than platonic but there was still a connection and that was enough. Or they had convinced themselves of that. Eventually even Lois seemed to come around about things, or perhaps she just agreed to disagree. Sometimes Brenda still wondered about that.

Then, out of the blue, Sonny had called her. When she met him on the docks he had admitted that he still loved her and it wasn't fair to any of them to continue living a lie. Sonny had gone off to talk to Lily and Brenda remembered how she had practically floated all the way to Kelly's where she had planned to meet Miguel for lunch. He had known something was different the moment she walked through the door.

 _May 29, 1996_

 _Brenda Barrett pulled open the door to Kelly's Diner and stepped inside with a spring in her step she almost didn't remember. She hadn't felt so weightless since before she learned that Stone had AIDS, before she had worn the wire, before Stone had died. So much had changed but suddenly it almost seemed like life might finally get back on track._

 _"You look beautiful," Miguel said as she sat down across from him._

 _"Thanks, I finally feel beautiful again."_

 _"So, chem lab was really that bad."_

 _Brenda laughed. Chemistry had been the last course she wanted to take but she had needed to take something for physical sciences distribution and chemistry had sounded a little better than physics. She had also figured taking it before Robin returned to Harvard would be a good plan since having her own personal tutor couldn't hurt. It hadn't actually been as bad as she had thought it would be, which didn't mean she wasn't glad the semester was finally over._

 _"Somehow I think it's something more than chemistry lab isn't it?" Miguel asked._

 _Brenda nodded as Ruby set a plate of food down in front of her._

 _"Are you going to tell me, Brenda?"_

 _"Yes, but not here," Brenda said. Although she was sure Lily would never believe it, her soul purpose in life was not to destroy Lily's. She wanted to give Sonny a chance to tell Lily before she revealed the truth to Miguel. Perhaps then Miguel and Lily could work things out the way she and Sonny had._

Later when she had told Miguel he had just hugged her and told her to be safe. Diplomacy at it's finest. Unfortunately, everything had deteriorated from there. Lily had returned home and told Sonny that they were going to have a child. Then everything had changed. Brenda understood that. She understood that Sonny couldn't, and shouldn't, walk away from his child. She hadn't wanted him to do that. Yet the whole situation had just been overwhelming. So, she had done the only thing that made sense in the moment. She had stood in the rain and cried.

AJ had found her standing outside Kelly's. He had given her his jacket, bought her hot chocolate, and then driven her back to the Quartermaine Mansion. He had presumed she was upset about Miguel and she hadn't had the energy to correct him. AJ was a good friend and that summer he had become her next boyfriend. The Quartermaines were all thrilled even if the relationship hadn't been much less platonic than what she had, had with Miguel. Or perhaps the Quartermaines had confused lack of passion for decency and decorum. Brenda hadn't thought of it that way before.

Brenda pushed the memories away and realized that Miguel was still talking, and she had completely lost the thread of the conversation. She managed to piece together that he was talking about some wedding in LA he had been supposed to sing at, but it had been cancelled mid ceremony. She had missed the explanation of why, but she supposed that probably wasn't really important. "Ok, so maybe that is worse," she offered.

"I guess I'm not a very good friend, am I?" Miguel asked.

"What?"

"I didn't want Sonny to hurt you by breaking the engagement, but I have to admit that I am glad that you're safe even if you think you would rather be with Sonny," Miguel admitted.

Brenda sighed. So apparently Ned had shared her words with Miguel. "I guess Ned told you then," she said.

"Told me what?"

"I told Ned I'd rather be with Sonny than be safe. He practically lost it at that comment."

"Ned didn't say anything to me about that. But, don't you understand why that would upset him? His daughter died because of the violence of Sonny's world."

"Yes, and I'm just a selfish, spoiled, child. I get it!"

"Brenda, that isn't what I said. It isn't what I think. I just understand how Ned feels."

Brenda wondered if Miguel was thinking of Juan, or Lily, or both. She was afraid to ask so she just released another sigh.

"Brenda, I don't want to upset you."

"I know, and I know that this has all been hard for Ned. I'm guessing that is the only possible explanation for Carly. Although you wouldn't have known it from her control top wonder wedding dress, I think she must be about seven or eight months pregnant which has to mean that Ned slept with her while he was in a funk last winter. I think that was when Carmina's death really hit him the hardest."

"Holidays are always hard," Miguel said.

Brenda noted the way that Miguel's voice trailed off absently. It was as if there was more to his statement, but he couldn't quite bring himself to utter the words. In some ways she supposed that 1996 had been his first Christmas without Lily. They hadn't been together in 1995 but Lily had been alive, and Brenda could understand the distinction.

Brenda pulled her mind away from the melancholy and glanced at her watch. It was almost half past five, Mr. Punctuality would be picking her up in just over an hour, and she still had nothing she wanted to wear. "If you want I'll just write your name on the tag of the gift I'm giving them," she offered.

Miguel must have decided to just go with her semi non sequitar. Perhaps he needed a break from his own melancholic reflections as well. "What did you get them?"

"Eight plates that match their china pattern. I went shopping with Keesha, she said it was a safe gift because you can always use extra plates. So, if you want, four of them can be from you. Actually, Ned will probably just be thrilled with anything we give him as a unit. He was just reminding me you're his favorite of my exes. For AJ's sake, we'll pretend he was excluding immediate family as a matter of bias or something."

"I see," Miguel said.

"Yeah, I guess Ned hasn't quite given up on us. Apparently, he missed the memo that there was never really an us. Or maybe he just is biding his time until I end this rebound thing with Jax so he can be the most hated of my exes. Considering how Ned feels about Sonny I guess that says something."

"So Jax is just a rebound thing?" Miguel asked.

"I don't know, maybe he isn't even that. He's picking me up in less than an hour though and I have nothing to wear."

Miguel laughed. "You never think you have anything to wear."

"Yeah, and your point?"

Miguel laughed. "Wear that dress you wore in my video."

Brenda looked in the direction of the closet. The scary thing was that Miguel's suggestion could work. The dress he was thinking of was formal enough to work with black tie, but not so frumpy she would be depressed before she even left her bedroom. It was traditional enough that if Edward Quartermaine had another heart attack she would hardly be to blame, yet it was trendy enough that she wouldn't be embarrassed if some of the photos from the party ended up in a magazine. With that thought she stood, went to the closet, and fumbled around until she pulled out the dress. She held it up in front of the full-length mirror and decided it could work.

"So was that a, Miguel, you're a genius sigh?" Miguel asked.

Brenda laughed. "Well, sure, on occasion. But I suppose I should thank you for the dress," she said. Miguel had picked the dress out himself and made sure that wardrobe returned it to her after they finished shooting. It was things like that which made people question if they were still a couple even though they had never really been a couple in the first place. They had always been good friends though and maybe that was more important anyway.


	7. Chapter 6: Some Enchanted Evening

Ned Ashton first noticed the dull, but persistent, ache at the base of his skull as he led Carly into the Versailles Room of the Port Charles Hotel. He contemplated whether being stricken by another of his migraines in the midst of the party to celebrate his marriage to Carly was ironic or fitting. Perhaps it was a bit of both he decided with a grimace as he ushered Carly in the direction of his grandparents, the hosts of the evening.

Lila Quartermaine beamed at them from her position in her wheelchair. "Welcome back to Port Charles, my dear ones."

"Thank you, Grandmother," Ned said quickly. He tried not to remember the way his grandmother had once beamed at Lois. He tried to remind himself that Carly wasn't Lois and expecting her to be would just make their marriage even more frustratingly unfulfilling. He wrapped an arm around Carly gently and wondered if she was also reminding herself that he would never be Jason. Perhaps she was doing better with her acceptance than he was. After all, the marriage had been her idea.

Edward Quartermaine merely nodded in Ned and Carly's direction.

Ned suspected his grandfather knew his wife would chastise him for bringing up ELQ business and figured silence was his best approach. He knew his grandfather was dying to ask for more details about the patent on the new leeching process that Celia was working on. Edward's hope was that it would allow them to get back into the mine in White Pine, Nevada they had closed about five years earlier. The technological processes and the environmental impact statements weren't really Ned's strength, but Celia had told him she still thought the technology was a few years off. The patent application they had worked on was more of an intermediate step. That wouldn't be the news his grandfather was hoping for, so Ned had no problem delaying the discussion and the resultant frustration that would somehow turn into his problem.

"I really like your dress, Mrs. Quartermaine," Carly said.

"Now, dear, I've told you before, you must call me Lila. This dress was a gift from my great-niece Chloe, she designed it especially for this event," his grandmother said.

"Yes, it isn't every day that one's oldest grandson gets married. Well, unless that oldest grandson happens to be Ned Ashton," a familiar, but annoying, voice said from behind them.

Ned turned to see that ELQ stockholder Jasper Jacks had arrived. He ignored Jax and made eye contact with the woman on his arm, Ned's ex-wife's best friend, his younger cousins' nanny, former Deceptions model, and the newest face of Jax Cosmetics, Brenda Barrett. He had to admit that he wasn't thrilled about the last descriptor or that somehow that also made her Jax's fling of the moment.

Actually, he kind of hated the idea of Brenda and Jax as a couple for more reasons than he could, or perhaps would, really explain. The truth was that he wasn't sure Jax was really any better than Brenda's fiancé Sonny Corinthos had been. Somehow, two nights before their intended wedding, the local crime lord had developed a conscience. He had found Brenda before their wedding rehearsal and admitted that his life wasn't safe for her. In her vulnerable period, after the broken engagement, Brenda had signed a contract with Jax Cosmetics and become their new spokes model.

In Ned's opinion, Jax had taken advantage of her. He had even suggested that, but Brenda had reminded him she was twenty years old. She was an adult and she didn't need his input into her decisions any more than she needed her sister's. So, he had let things go, or he had tried to. The truth was he still hated the idea of Brenda being involved with Jax in any capacity. So, when he met Brenda's eyes he conveyed that, and, in turn, she conveyed that she wasn't amused by Jax's jab and that she understood his pain even if she had no clue why he had married Carly.

He hadn't been able to explain that. The truth was he didn't want to blatantly lie to her, he didn't think he ever had and that mattered to him. Actually, the temptation had been to spill everything to her, but he had known that wasn't really fair as she was still his ex-wife's best friend. So, he had just stuck to the bare facts. He was marrying Carly. He was committed to raising his child with Carly. Those were both true statements. It was his child, although not exactly for the reasons most people would presume.

Ned noticed Jax's glare and wondered if he was able to understand the silent conversation he was having with Brenda. He doubted that, but he supposed Jax might be aware of their connection and he was sure Jax had to hate that. Sharing wasn't something Jax did well. Or perhaps Jax was just annoyed that his entry barb had been ignored. Jax hated to be ignored it was the most severe blow to his ego. Ned smiled a little at that thought.

Brenda returned his smile which only seemed to increase her date's frown.

Jax broke his countenance into a falsely jovial grin. "So, is this the fourth or the fifth wife, Ned? It's so hard to keep track," he said. He took a step forward and leaned in close to Carly. "I hear the record to beat is thirty-three months, good luck!" he whispered in a tone that was still quite loud enough for everyone to hear.

XXXXXXXX

Carly rolled her eyes at Jax's comment. She was starting to understand why Jason hated the guy. She choked a little at the thought of Jason and then she really looked up at her husband's face. He looked in pain and she almost laughed, not at Ned's discomfort but, at the absurdity that once again she was playing second fiddle to an anointed ghost. Perhaps it was a Quartermaine thing, or maybe a Morgan or Ashton thing as those were the common bloodlines between the two cousins. Either way it was painful.

When she had first heard that Jason had decided he loved St. Robin enough to let her go, so she would be safe, she had been more than willing to go for sloppy seconds because Jason would never truly be that even if he did remain annoyingly devoted to Robin. Anyway, in some sense, she would always be Jason's first. She was the first woman he remembered sleeping with. Honestly, she might have been the first woman he had slept with. His girlfriend Keesha certainly seemed like the prudish type that wouldn't give it up before someone put a ring on her finger. Carly liked to think that Jason had wised up before he did that except he had moved on to St. Robin.

Edward's growl interrupted Carly's thoughts. She forced herself to at least half listen to the conversations swirling around her. She glanced up at Ned. He no longer looked so stricken. She was mildly curious if he had gotten past the pain or just figured out how to hide it better. A better wife would have cared but Carly wasn't sure she did. Perhaps she should. Ned hadn't needed to marry her, but he had, and perhaps she owed him something for that.

"That is quite enough! Edward, if you don't want me to send you home before the meal you will find a way to peacefully co-exist with Mr. Jacks. Mr. Jacks is entitled to express his opinion, even in a tactless and crass manner, if he chooses," Lila said.

"But, Lila!" Edward started to protest.

Lila cut him off in short order. "Not another word, Edward. Oh, it looks like Mayor McClintock and his wife just arrived. We should go extend our greetings," she said. Then, with a whir of her electric wheelchair Lila was off in the direction of the mayor leaving her husband to follow or face the consequences.

Carly found herself smiling at the way her new grandmother could take charge of the situation. She would readily admit that marrying Ned had been another of her wacky plans. Yet, she had a feeling that being Lila Quartermaine's granddaughter, even if only by marriage, would be one of the unexpected bonuses.

Ned caught her eye. "Yes, grandmother has a real presence, doesn't she?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her a little more securely.

"I think I could learn a lot from her," Carly said honestly.

"I'm sure you will," Ned said.

His words sounded genuine, but not condescending, and for a brief moment Carly wondered if maybe there could be more unexpected bonuses in her marriage. She was still mulling all of that over in her mind when the monster in law decided to grace them with her presence.

"Darling!" Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler said as she wrapped her arms around her son.

Carly noted the way Ned seemed to stiffen at first. Eventually though, he did manage to wrap his arms around his mother, at least loosely.

Ned's little brother and sister trailed behind their mother. Dylan joined another Quartermaine grouping which included his cousin Kirk, Monica and Alan's younger son, but six-year-old Shannon, continued to dance her way across the lobby towards them.

Carly watched as Shannon stopped halfway and did a full pirouette which allowed her cotton candy pink dress to flare out and up slightly and then launched into a few chasse steps and a tour jete. Or Carly thought that was what it was, she hadn't lasted more than a few months in ballet. Refined and graceful had never really been her things.

Shannon stopped immediately in front of Carly, grasped the hem of her dress and then dropped into a crossed leg curtsey pose.

Normally the performance would have annoyed Carly but she figured it would be nice to have someone in the Quartermaine family on her side, so she just smiled a little more and clapped. Somehow allowing Shannon to toss a few flower petals around before she and Ned entered into a marriage of convenience, or perhaps inconvenience depending on perspective, had won the little girl over. Apparently, St. Lois hadn't been even that kind, and, for that reason, Shannon felt that her brother's newest wife was a big improvement. Carly was well aware that Shannon was probably the only member of the Quartermaine family who felt that way but everyone else was too polite to voice their opinions.

Tracy stepped back from the embrace with her son and turned to her daughter. "If you're done showing off for Carly, Shannon, it would be very appropriate for you to thank Mrs. Barrington for the new playground equipment at your school. Her husband's charitable endowment funded a significant portion of it," she said.

Carly watched as Shannon dutifully scampered off towards where Amanda Barrington stood with some woman she didn't know. Amanda was the widow of Markham Barrington who had opened the original Barrington Jewelers store in Port Charles, NY in 1935. Six decades later one store had grown into a small empire and Barrington Jewelers had practically become a household name. Virginia had been amazed when Ned had explained that Carly's ring had been made by Barrington Vice President Derek Barrington, who Ned happened to serve on the Charles Street Foundation board with, personally. She glanced down at the ring on her finger and then uncomfortably met her mother in law's eyes.

Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler smiled. "It is a beautiful ring. Derek did do an outstanding job didn't he?" she asked.

Carly took a step closer to Ned. Perhaps he sensed her discomfort because he wrapped his arm around her shoulders loosely. She took a little comfort from the gesture. "Well, my husband likes to spoil me," she said.

Carly smiled internally when she saw the way that her mother in law's facial expression changed. She was well aware that her mother in law felt that women like her were setting womankind back decades if not centuries. Yet, Carly doubted that Tracy Quartermaine had ever known what it was like to go to school all decked out in blue light specials from K-Mart. That had been Carly's childhood, so, if she wanted to take a moment and enjoy the ostentatious ring that Ned had put on her finger then her mother in law could kindly screw herself. She hadn't married Ned for his money. She had married him to build a home for her son, but she wasn't going to apologize for enjoying the money that came along with the package deal.

As Dr. Ryan Grabler joined them Carly had another thought. It wasn't like the monster in law had exactly married into poverty either. Her first husband was apparently some low level British Monarch who collected rare, and expensive, art. Her second husband was a devoted husband and father but he was also a psychiatrist, so he was anything but destitute.

"Is everything alright?" Tracy asked her husband.

"Yes, Dr. Winters paged me by mistake. She meant to page Dr. Locke who actually is on call tonight," Ryan said.

"Well, if you will excuse us, it looks like the Cranes just arrived. I'd like Carly to meet them," Ned said. Then, perhaps before his mother could object, he guided her in the direction of a distinguished, white haired, couple in at least their late sixties.

XXXXXXXX

Liz Webber glanced around the Versailles Room in the Port Charles Hotel. Spending Friday night at a stuffy, formal party with her grandmother's friends was not exactly her idea of a good time. There was irony too because she was well aware that when her grandmother had returned her RSVP to the event she had not been the granddaughter Audrey Hardy had intended to bring, her sister Sarah had been. Unfortunately, Sarah had claimed she had to work on a major history project with Alison Barrington. Liz was pretty sure that Sarah wasn't actually planning on studying on Friday night, but their Grams was bit more gullible, so she had just praised Sarah's study habits and informed her that she could attend the party after all. Somehow, she had neglected to realize that her phrasing made it more than a bit obvious that Liz was, and probably always would be, her second choice. Liz hadn't pointed that out because she had accepted it was pointless to do so.

"Elizabeth, stand up straight, when you slouch that dress doesn't hang right," her grandmother admonished.

Liz silently adjusted her posture and gritted her teeth. _She could balance a book on her head and the stupid dress she was wearing still wouldn't hang right._ _Whatever!_

Liz exhaled to release some more frustration. She saw her friends Emily and Allison Quartermaine come back into the ballroom each holding one hand of their three year old little sister Katelyn. "I'm going to go say hi to Alli and Em," she tossed out quickly and started across the room, towards where they had joined their parents, without waiting for an answer.

When she and Sarah had arrived in Port Charles her grandmother had promptly introduced them to Allison and Emily presuming of course that they would all be friends. After all, she had pointed out their parents had all been very close friends when they had been residents at PCGH years ago. At first Liz had been sure that befriending Alli and Emily would be as exciting as watching paint dry but she had tagged along on their tour of Port Charles, swum in the Quartermaine pool, and even gone on a back to school shopping excursion to Port Charles Crossing.

Although the Quartermaine sisters were definitely a lot more straight laced, and genuinely kind, than Liz thought she could ever be she realized they were honest and they did actually like her because she was Liz not because she was Dr. Jeff Webber's daughter or because their parents had once attended the same country club. By the time she had started her freshman year at Port Charles High a month ago she had actually been thankful that Emily had skipped a grade somewhere along the way and was also a freshman.

"Liz, hi!" Emily and Allison Quartermaine greeted her warmly in almost perfect unison.

Liz noted that they both seemed a lot more thrilled than she was. Of course, the party was to celebrate their cousin's marriage so perhaps they were happy about that. She had met their cousin Ned a few times. He seemed cool, he played guitar, and drove a Miata. "Great party," Liz said. She wondered if either of them would catch her sarcasm.

Emily seemed to because she flashed her an empathetic look. "I agree these things can take a little getting used to," she said.

Liz supposed that the party probably wasn't much more formal than a lot of the country club events her parents went to back in Denver but she was never included in those parties. She raised an eyebrow somewhat conspiratorially. "A little?" she asked.

Emily laughed. "You just have to consider it entertainment, or at least that is what AJ says."

"Perhaps I have been misquoted," AJ Quartermaine said as he joined them with his girlfriend, Keesha Ward.

Emily rolled her eyes at her brother. "Gee, AJ, your trust is overwhelming," she said.

"I said perhaps," AJ defended.

"Emily was just explaining to Liz how good you are at finding the humor in every situation," Allison chimed in.

"It's like I always say sometimes you have to be willing to laugh at yourself. Then people are laughing with you, not at you," AJ said.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Liz said. Somehow, she had a feeling that no matter how much she was willing to laugh at herself her mother would still be laughing at her, not with her. She didn't really expect AJ, Emily, or Allison to understand that because Dr. Monica Quartermaine didn't seem like the kind of mom who used humiliation as a discipline strategy the way her mother had.

There was more. Emily and Allison were about fourteen months apart just like she and Sarah were. Yet, somehow Emily didn't seem to have grown up in Allison's shadow. Perhaps that was because Emily hadn't even known the Quartermaines existed until she was ten and she had been eleven by the time they had adopted her. Perhaps that had allowed her to believe she had some worth beyond being Allison's younger sister. Or perhaps it helped that Kirk and Katelyn existed so even Emily had younger siblings who seemed to look up to her. Maybe that made all the difference. Liz could only wonder.

XXXXXXXX

As she stood amongst the crowd Chloe Morgan found herself paying more attention to the fashion surrounding her than the conversation. She supposed that was an occupational hazard. There was a time when her younger sister would have understood that completely. They would have shared conspiratorial smiles at that which was just so clearly not haute couture. Of course, sometimes it seemed that the greatest fashion faux pas could inspire an idea that eventually evolved into something beautiful. There was a time when Amy had shared that same enchantment and wonder as they sketched on the back of anything they had been able to dig out of their mother's purse and whispered in the dark about a time when they would unleash their designs and the fashion world wouldn't know what hit them. They had just been little girls, albeit little girls with big dreams, then. Yet, their childhood dreams had become reality and they had their grandfather to thank for that.

Joshua Morgan, the younger son of the late, manufacturing mogul, Harold James Morgan, was an accomplished artist. Some of his paintings were being featured in an exhibit at the Met later in the month. That was a testament to his talent, talent which she and Amy had been fortunate to inherit. Beyond that it was a testament to the power of finding your passion and believing in a dream you chose for yourself rather than one defined by family expectations or connections, society, or even gender or cultural norms. Those were the values that he had passed on to his granddaughters. Only one of his granddaughters seemed to have lost sight of those values and Chloe wanted to know why.

Amy had explained that she had tired of designing. When Chloe hadn't bought that she had claimed she had realized she just didn't have the talent to truly be successful. Chloe really hadn't bought that. She had seen her sister's senior portfolio, it was even better than the fledgling designer she had hired. She would have preferred to have hired Amy, but she had respected that her sister wanted to make her way in the fashion world on her own merit. So, she had celebrated Amy's offer at Forrester Creations in LA and looked forward to the day when she Amy could merge their design houses together and really take over the fashion world.

Now it looked like that dream might not be realized. Amy had become the Chief Operating Officer of Deception Cosmetics. Somehow it had been ok for Amy to use her cousin connections to get the job at Deception, but she couldn't come work for her. None of that made sense. Plus, Ned was vague and evasive whenever she asked about Amy. That was a sure clue that there was something more to her sister's abrupt career change than a loss of passion for designing. Amy had clearly picked the right person to confide in. Ned could stonewall with the best of them, even better than Chloe had remembered. That hurt because there had been a time when Amy had shared all of her secrets with Chloe. They were sisters that was how it was supposed to be. But it wasn't anymore and as she stood in the Versailles room Chloe was sure of that. She could acknowledge that, but she wasn't about to accept it.

As she solidified her vow Chloe shifted her gaze enough to realize that someone had been watching her reflective moment. She looked away quickly but not before her eyes connected with international playboy, Jasper Jacks. Her friend, Simon Prentiss, had introduced them a few years earlier when all their paths had crossed at a resort in Southern France. Jasper had informed her that all of his friends called him Jax. Out of respect for his friendship with Simon, Chloe had resisted the strong temptation to continue calling him Jasper. She didn't know him, but she knew his type -handsome, charming, easily bored, narcissistic, self involved, and, most importantly, incapable of sustained affection. He was exactly the kind of man she didn't need in her life and nothing had changed there.

When Chloe looked back across the room she realized Jax was coming towards her, without the model he had been parading around earlier. She merely shook her head as she turned herself and started in the direction of her Great Aunt Lila.


	8. Chapter 7: Dangerous Liasons

If he didn't think too much, Scott Baldwin almost felt in his element as he drove towards Mt. Kisco. Almost, well maybe that was a bit of an overstatement. Maybe it was optimism. His sister was always telling him he needed to work on that, optimism.

"I've never been up here before, and I have to say it's a little creepy," Eve said as he turned onto the access road and they began their ascent to the peak of Mt. Kisco.

"Well, fortunately I have my blazer back. Four-wheel drive, you know, it will get you through," Scott said. He hated to admit that Eve had a point. Even he felt a little bit of a cold chill when he drove past the cabin that had been the former home of his sister's almost rapist.

Eve rolled her eyes at his comment. "Yeah, well, fortunately I'm not trying to get to the first day of my surgery rotation on time."

"Oh, come on, Alan didn't hold that against you. Anyway, Brian tells me you could be a great internist. So, if surgery doesn't work out, you have options."

"Are you determined to ruin every rotation for me?" Eve asked.

Scott heard the frustration and anger in her voice but, for once, he didn't understand it. It wasn't like he had ever meant to make things harder for her. He hadn't even known her really when he scribbled his name on the bottom of her AMA form and resumed his quest to find his child. From his perspective they had both done what they needed to. He needed out of the hospital to find his kid and she needed to document that she had advised him to stay. It wasn't really either of their fault that PCGH had a policy which stated patients needed to be seen by an attending and the neurosurgeon on call had been too busy playing mattress tag with the PT tech that broke up his marriage in the first place to actually come in to the ER and see him.

He also hadn't made her late for surgery rounds on her first day on purpose. Honestly, it was really more the fault of that guy at the Ford Dealership who had clearly sold him a defective vehicle. He had tried to fix everything by explaining to Alan that it was really his fault as it had been his car which had broken down. He hadn't really been thinking about how that explanation would just add more fodder to the hospital rumor mill. He kind of grasped that it had. Especially since Eve's attending happened to be his brother in law. He just didn't call him Doc Bro in law because he had more class than Luke Spencer.

However, his latest offense he really didn't understand. Was he not allowed to have lunch with an old friend? He and Brian went way back. Brian had used some of his limited vacation time during his own internship to help him rescue Laura when she had run away unable to face the truth, or perhaps the consequences, that she had killed David Hamilton. When the legal situation had been resolved Brian had stood up for him when he and Laura married and then stood by him through all of the aftermath that had followed. There had been a lot of aftermath.

"You really are determined to ruin this internship for me, aren't you? Why? Why me?" Eve ranted.

"I was just having lunch with an old friend. I didn't even mention your name. Brian brought up how amazing you were all on his own."

"So, you just happen to be old friends with my IM wards attending?"

"We went to Kent State together. Class of seventy five. Well, actually I was class of seventy five. Brian took the less scenic route. He finished up in seventy four and went right onto medical school at Wright State."

Eve just shook her head and sighed loudly. "I'm doing OB-Gyn next month are you long lost friends with anyone in that department?"

"Hmm. Howie Newman delivered Serena. You probably shouldn't call him Howie, I don't think he really likes that much," Scott said.

Eve sighed again. "What are we doing?"

"Driving up to the Mt. Kisco Overlook to watch stars and eat ribs from Eli's."

"That wasn't what I meant."

Scott had kind of figured that. Of course, if he took the question literally he could answer it. If he didn't, well, then there didn't really seem to be an answer. His sister had asked if he was dating Dr. Lambert. He thought she had been looking for a yes or no answer, but he hadn't been able to give her that and eventually she had let it go. _Was he dating Eve? Heck if he knew._

Eve intrigued him, she was funny, she was smart, Serena was comfortable around her and she seemed to genuinely care about his five-year-old daughter. He had a feeling that even if Eve decided she wanted nothing to do with him, and perhaps she was getting close to that point, she would still be nice to Serena. He liked that about her and they had fun together, or they did when they weren't worrying about what they were doing.

Then there was the other side. She was younger than his oldest daughter. She was a resident at a hospital his sister, mother, and brother in law all were physicians at. His brother in law was her Chief of Staff. His daughter was a member of her internship class. Of course, after his sister had listened to him fumble around on the topic for a good ten minutes she had finally pointed out that they were both consenting adults and perhaps there was no reason for it to be an uncomfortable topic. Yet, somehow it still seemed to be, and Scott wasn't sure what that meant exactly.

Scott's headlights picked up a deer directly ahead and he slowed and finally came to a complete stop as the dumb animal stood motionless in the path of his truck. He honked his horn and waited as the animal finally darted the rest of the way across the road.

"That was close," Eve said once they were on their way again.

"Not really, deer are annoying but it's the Moose you really need to watch out for."

"Moose?"

"Yeah, we had a lot of those when I was up in Vancouver. Supposedly there are some out in Hampton Bays even now, but I've never seen any," Scott said. He shuddered as he saw the mailbox along the road still labeled Dorman.

Apparently, Eve noticed it too. "So, people actually live this far up? This must be a nightmare in the winter."

"Yeah, well the guy who lived there was kind of a nightmare himself so maybe that fit," he said.

"Another one of your unsatisfied clients," Eve joked.

Scott gripped the steering wheel tightly. He knew he shouldn't expect Eve to know about Dr. Dorman and his reign of terror. He had died right before Intern Orientation had started and his privileges had been permanently suspended a few weeks before that. However, he doubted that his name wasn't still mentioned around the hospital, especially as the trial loomed closer. "Not exactly. The guy who lived there was another example that Dr. Hardy had a few lapses in judgment since he hired him. He used to be a cardiologist at the hospital. Really he was more of a cocaine addicted sociopath."

"Sounds like a real standup guy. Wait, was he the guy who kidnapped Dr. Quartermaine?" Eve asked.

Scott also heard the caught gasp which punctuated her question. He presumed it had hit her that she wasn't just talking about a random cardiology attending she didn't know well but his sister. Intellectually he knew she knew that, but he could see how there was the disconnect. "Right, fortunately, her nephew came through. He happened to see her being forced into cokehead's car and he called the police. They got there before a bad situation got a whole lot worse. Small miracle I guess."

"I'm sorry," Eve said.

Scott wasn't sure if she was sorry for what had happened or what she had said. "Monica has more courage than most, she's been through a lot but she's a survivor, that's for sure," he said.

"You seem really close."

Scott chuckled at Eve's observation. In 1997 he would say he and Monica were close. When his father had married her mother thirty years earlier he probably wouldn't have said that. Of course, he doubted anyone else would have said that either. He had been a pretty awful stepbrother, but by the time his father had adopted Monica when she was almost fifteen he had been ready to become a better brother. Or he had tried. Time healed wounds or nurtured a connection or something because it had been Monica who had helped him to accept that not all things could be understood and had supported him as he signed the divorce papers that freed his wife to go marry her rapist. That had been seventeen years ago. His relationship with Monica had only deepened since then but he was still nowhere near reconciling the choices Laura had made.

"Ok, forget I said that. Serena is always talking about Aunt Monica, so I just figured."

"I was chuckling because I was remembering where Monica and I started from but, yep, we're close now, and she has always been a big part of Serena's life. It's hard to be a single dad to a daughter. Monica has definitely made a lot of that less difficult," Scott said as they finally reached the parking lot just below the peak of Mt. Kisco.

"That's good," Eve said.

Scott heard the uncertainty in her voice. That kept him from asking her about her own siblings. Instead he just shifted into park and killed the engine.

XXXXXXXX

In the dining room at Wyndamere, Katherine Bell picked her way through her salad. Truth be told, she had never cared for green vegetables, but she had forced herself to stomach them for appearances sake and business lunches. Stefan sat across from her, yet, as they were separated by the length of the full banquet table, he seemed so far away. He also seemed distracted. She hoped he was rehearsing his proposal speech as worked his way through his greens. She wondered when he would offer her the ring. She supposed it didn't matter as long as it was safely on her finger before his sniveling cousin, Alexis, returned home.

Katherine smiled a little as she envisioned Alexis's look of distraught disappointment when she saw the ring on her finger. Laura had always had such rough gargantuan hands she hoped that Stefan had thought to have the ring resized. She was sure he had thought of that. Stefan thought of everything when it came to her.

XXXXXXXX

Although Scott was sitting right beside her, at least physically, Eve had a feeling his mind was elsewhere. She wondered if he was thinking of past moments when he and his wife had sat in a similar spot and watched the stars. Or perhaps her earlier foot in the mouth moment had haunted him more than he had let on. It was painfully ironic that the one moment she had been able to let go of the awkwardness that his mother, sister, daughter, and brother in law were all physicians at her hospital had come back to bite her. Such was life, or at least such was her life.

With half of a glance in his direction, Eve decided that he probably was thinking about the monster who had tormented his sister. That would be a hard thing to let go of and she doubted he had. Even if Chris had added in a little extra embellishment for effect, she had been disturbed by the whole event and she hadn't known anyone involved personally. She had actually been kind of glad when Karen had joined them, and Chris had to quickly change the topic because Karen was Dr. Monica Quartermaine's niece.

As she contemplated whether all cardiologists were sociopaths, or perhaps just all male cardiologists, or perhaps even just all male interventional cardiologists Eve felt something land in her hand. She glanced down and saw the quarter Scott had laid there. She looked at him more carefully and wondered if he had decided to make Serena return the money she had won from their penny pitching game. That had only been seventeen cents though and Serena had counted it out to make sure it was correct.

"I figured your thoughts were worth far more than a penny," Scott suggested.

Eve just shook her head. Sometimes she wondered if Scott would ever run out of his lines. Probably not. "Or not if you look at my intern salary," she said. Chris had already worked out that, providing PCGH was compliant with the Bell Commission requirements for house staff, their salary worked out to about seven bucks an hour which Eve figured had to be far less than twenty-five cents per thought even on the days she wasn't feeling particularly cerebral.

"And once again we're back to money."

"Well it's the path to happiness or the root of all evil depending on perspective, right?" Eve asked.

"Or it's a convenient wall so you don't have to let anyone in," Scott suggested.

Eve sighed. The scariest thing was that Scott was so right and there was a small part of her that wanted to admit that to him. But the larger, more rational, and practical part of her just couldn't go there. He was old enough to be her father. He was Karen's father. It was all just so complicated and messy. She couldn't go forward but she couldn't just walk away either. "Do you really want to know what I was thinking about?" she asked.

"I do."

"I was contemplating whether all male interventional cardiologists were sociopaths."

Scott looked a bit taken aback by her words. "My sister wants everyone to believe that Dr. Dorman was just a bad apple in a good profession. But if Dr. Devlin is still giving you a hard time then you need to talk to someone."

"Who said Dr. Devlin was giving me a hard time?" Eve asked. She presumed the answer was his sister. She knew Monica had witnessed one of their less friendly discussions.

 _August 22, 1997_

 _When Dr. Bennett Devlin finally released her arm, Dr. Eve Lambert inhaled and exhaled and tried to regain some composure. She wasn't afraid of Dr. Bennett Devlin. She wasn't afraid of Dr. Bennett Devlin. Except no matter how many times she repeated the mantra the truth was that she was afraid of Dr. Bennett Devlin and she always had been. Initially she was afraid he would get her kicked out of medical school, she had slept with him to protect her secret. But then, after she had become pregnant with his child, she had truly feared for her life. In spite of what she had told the police, she knew he had pushed her in the stairwell intentionally, and she believed he had wanted to kill her, not just the pregnancy she had refused to terminate. That had been over two years ago and she had gotten past it. Or she had thought she had until she discovered that Dr. Bennett Devlin was a cardiologist at PCGH and the father of her apartment mate. He still had a secret to hold over her head. She had one to hold over his too though and that altered the power dynamic enough that it released her from his bed. Unfortunately, it also heightened the stakes for him and in many ways gave her more reason to fear him._

 _A voice pulled her from her thoughts and Eve turned to see Dr. Monica Quartermaine._

 _"_ _Are you alright?" Monica asked._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, I was just focusing on the IV fluid order. Your husband is very particular," Eve said._

 _Monica smiled. "Alan has his moments. If anyone is making you uncomfortable that isn't acceptable here at PCGH . Perhaps we could go to my office and talk."_

 _"_ _I wasn't complaining. Truly, your husband is wonderful to work with in comparison to some of the surgeons I rotated with as a student. He just expects us to be careful with our orders that was all I meant."_

 _"_ _I wasn't referring to Alan. Perhaps I'm misinterpreting but what I just saw between you and Dr. Devlin concerns me."_

 _"_ _He just wasn't really watching where he was walking," Eve offered. That didn't really explain him grabbing her arm, but she hoped that Monica wouldn't challenge her. "I think he was probably late for the cath lab."_

 _"_ _Well, if you're sure everything is alright, but if you ever need to talk, my door is always open. I do mean that. I really do."_

 _"_ _I appreciate that, but really, everything is fine," Eve lied._

Eve thought she had convinced Monica she had misinterpreted the interaction. Apparently, Monica hadn't bought her lie as much as she had led her to believe.

"Listen, I know that DME has you all convinced that residents don't speak unless spoken too, but, even her bark is worse than her bite. Trust me, my brother in law really doesn't want another deranged cardiologist running amok and he's not going to shoot the messenger."

"Perhaps your brother in law needs to brush up on confidentiality."

"Oh, he's good with that, ask his sister about that."

Eve wasn't sure what Scott was referring to and she wasn't sure she cared. "If you're implying that Dr. Quartermaine is treating family members that kind of violates the AMA position on physician conduct."

"No, he's good with that too. He only treats family members in emergencies when he's the unfortunate surgeon on call. The AMA is fine with that, you can't really fault a guy for saving a life even if happens to be a niece by marriage. Anyway, Monica didn't exactly reveal that you were the female physician that Dr. Devlin was manhandling. She just assured me it wasn't my daughter and I presumed it wasn't his own daughter, although I guess you never know. My point is that these things have a way of snowballing really quick and real bad."

"I can take care of myself!" Eve insisted. She wanted to believe she could. She wanted to believe that Bennett would continue to bully her just to remind her that he had the upper hand but that he wouldn't actually cross the line. She didn't really believe that though. She just wasn't sure how to really break free. Again a small part of her wanted to be honest with Scott and trust he could and would help her. But another part of her couldn't.

"I'm sure you can. You know it's ok to have some help sometimes. I keep trying to convince my daughter of the same thing."

"Serena?"

"Well, she is five now and she's becoming more independent, but I was thinking more of Karen. I wasn't there for her when she needed me and I think that makes it harder for her to really trust that I will be now, or even that anyone will. Maybe you can relate to that."

Eve shrugged her shoulders and didn't speak.

"You don't have to answer that, it wasn't exactly a question it was just an observation."

"Karen said you didn't know she was your daughter until she was in medical school."

"I didn't."

"Would you have been around if you had?"

"I want to think I would have but I don't know. My life was a bit of disaster area for a while. I gave my wife a divorce, so she could marry the man who raped her. They say I didn't handle that very well, but how do you handle something like that well?"

"That was Karen's mom?"

"No, that was someone else, you should forget I said that. Technically it's a matter of public record the marriage, the divorce, and even the arrest warrant was. The DA let him take a plea for assault and public lewdness, that's public record too so I can't be sued for slander or defamation but, well, they have kids now and that's not really the kind of thing a kid needs to hear."

"How do you marry someone who raped you?"

"I don't know. I haven't really wrapped my head around that one. I've basically given up on understanding that one. I'm not going to. It's not my issue I guess. I left town before they actually married. I signed the divorce papers and got out of dodge. I'm not sure if I could have stuck around then for Karen even if I had known."

"I guess that is honest."

"I try to be."

"I see," Eve said.

"Anyway, the point is that it's ok to need help. No man, or woman, is meant to be an island."

It sounded so simple when Scott put it that way. Eve knew it wasn't. The truth was that life was just messy and complicated. Her life was especially so, and she had a feeling that wherever things were going with Scott was just going to bring her more of the same. Yet, she couldn't walk away.


	9. Chapter 8: Avoiding Complications

Ned Ashton sat down beside his new bride and forced a smile for the professional photographer that was milling about. He had agreed to his grandmother's party for two reasons. First, and foremost, she was his adored grandmother and he had a hard time saying no to her. He also knew that the more other people believed that his marriage to Carly was real the less complications there would be after the baby was born. Complications were to be avoided, any successful businessman knew that. Ned was successful, at least in business he was.

Ned winced as new pain seared through his temples. Apparently, his migraine was not going to go away. _Well isn't that just wonderful?_ Sarcasm was definitely a Quartermaine trait and he had it in spades. That worried his mother. Actually, a lot of things worried his mother…his migraines…his inability to find a wife who loved him…her fear that he never would…his third marriage. She hadn't said the last parts aloud, or at least not while he had been within earshot, but Ned could sense things. He had instincts. They usually served him well, at least in business, even if not in matters of the heart.

His first wife had married him for his money. Or maybe it was his family's money because he had been a third-year law student at the time and Jenny Eckert was more of the instant gratification type. After graduation they had moved back to Port Charles and he took the job as ELQ Pro-Counsel. He had thought married life suited him until the day he came home and found his wife making love to, former ELQ Pro Counsel, Paul Hornsby in their bed.

Things only went further downhill from there when Jenny told him she was pregnant. She had also told him there was no way the child she was carrying could possibly be his as she had known she was pregnant before they had consummated their marriage. Apparently, she hadn't actually been a virgin bride. With all of that on the table, Ned hadn't had the strength, or heart, to do anything but grant her the divorce she was demanding.

His second wife had been supposed to be "the one". She was the mother of his daughters. She probably wouldn't like to hear him use the plural because somehow it seemed easier for her to just forget that Carmina had ever existed than to acknowledge the violence that had taken her from them and ripped their world to shreds. That had been the beginning of the end for them. They couldn't grieve for their child together because Lois wouldn't let herself remember and it was impossible for him to forget.

His second divorce brought him to his third marriage with a wife he knew didn't love him. He didn't love her either, so, perhaps, that made it ok. His friend, and surrogate little sister, Brenda thought that was just more evidence that he had made a major mistake. Ned would agree with that, but his major mistake wasn't his third marriage but having not taken more steps to protect his wife and child from targeted violence. He hadn't so their daughter was dead and the woman he still loved hated him. Now there was another child, one that would never replace either of his daughters, but one that needed to be protected and Ned had vowed to do exactly that.

Perhaps that was for the best because, perhaps, love just wasn't a viable option for him. He had accepted that, or he mostly had. His mother just didn't understand because her second husband, Dr. Ryan Grabler, was truly "the one". Ned was happy for her, he truly was, or at least mostly, it was just complicated. Of course, complicated was kind of the theme of his relationship with his mother. She loved him, he knew that, at least intellectually. Emotionally was where things were so much less clear.

 _April 13, 1989_

 _As he opened his eyes, Ned Ashton decided he must be delirious. Fevers could do that he supposed. There really wasn't any other good explanation for the mirage like hallucination of his mother sitting beside his bed. He blinked his eyes a few times, but the image didn't fade. Instead it began to speak._

 _"_ _How are you feeling, darling?" Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler asked as she leaned over and brushed some hair back from his forehead._

 _"_ _Mother? What are you doing here?" Ned finally asked._

 _"_ _Do you really have to ask that question, darling? Now don't worry, I made the nurses fax all of the labs to your Uncle Alan's office and he is going to talk to that Dr. Hummingbird, or whatever his name is. Your Uncle Alan said that you should be getting better not worse and he is afraid it might be something called an empyema."_

 _"_ _His name is Dr. Humiston," Ned said through gritted teeth._

 _"_ _Maybe the nurses had trouble reading his signature and got confused. Because it certainly sounded like Dr. Hummingbird to me," his mother contended as she brushed more hair off of his forehead._

 _"_ _You really didn't need to bother Uncle Alan with this," Ned protested._

 _"_ _Oh, darling, your uncle doesn't see it as a bother. He was going to come with me but he couldn't find call coverage. You really don't look well, Ned, and you're shivering. Are you feeling worse, sweetheart?"_

 _Ned shivered more and shut his eyes. He felt his mother pull the blankets up to his chin and smooth them out. He felt her lips brush gently across his forehead. Ned cringed a little as he realized she probably did the same thing every night when she tucked his little two year old brother, Dylan, into bed. Apparently, Dylan wouldn't go to sleep without the stuffed squirrel that his Uncle Alan had given him shortly after birth, at least two bedtime stories from his father, and his mother fixing the blankets just right. All of that was a far cry from the childhood Ned had known. He wanted to be happy for his brother. He wanted to be happy that his mother had married someone who loved her and loved their child the way Lord Lawrence Ashton had probably never loved either of them. He really did but sometimes it was just complicated._

His Uncle Alan had been correct, about the empyema. He had instincts too, perhaps it was a Quartermaine thing. Apparently, Alan's instincts also served him well, as a surgeon. Unlike his nephew, who had been the ring bearor in his wedding, Dr. Alan Quartermaine had only married once. He and his wife, Dr. Monica Baldwin Quartermaine, a cardiologist, would be celebrating twenty-two years in December. Somehow, they made things work and, in his less cynical moments, Ned could admire that. Before his marriage to Lois had ended, he had even been inspired by it. After he had signed his second set of divorce papers it had been hard for Ned to be inspired by anything.

XXXXXXXX

Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler smiled slightly as she cut into her filet mignon. When Ned had been about five he had always ordered that if they ate out. He had called it "mushroom meat" which she had found charming. She wondered if her mother had remembered that when she had selected the menu or if they were merely eating filet mignon because her father knew it was one night he could eat red meat without comment from his cardiologist daughter in law.

Her elder younger brother's wife was certainly not afraid to speak her mind when needed. There wasn't anything wrong with that. In fact, in the Quartermaine family, it was an essential quality. Tracy knew that as much as her father complained he had come to respect, admire, and even love his elder son's wife. It had just taken a little time. When Alan had first married Monica Baldwin she had been in middle of her fourth year of medical school at Cornell and was more focused on where she would match for Medicine/Pediatrics residency than entertaining for her surgeon husband, or even creating the newest Quartermaine heir. Tracy supposed it had been a bit of a hard sell, at least for her father. Alan had been in love and their mother had the grace to love anyone her son wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Tracy had tried to emulate her mother's approach when Jennifer Eckert shoved an ostentatious ring in her face while Ned stood silently and slightly sheepishly. She had pushed past the first thought that had come to her, which had been that clearly, she had failed at teaching Ned what was tasteful in jewelry and tried to warm her heart for the young woman hanging on her son. She hadn't truly succeeded, at least not over that awkward dinner to celebrate their engagement.

Later, a kernel of Tracy's faith had been restored when Ned had revealed that Jenny had selected her own ring. Apparently, she hadn't been suitably impressed with the ring Ned had originally offered and had accepted his proposal contingent on being allowed to select her own ring. That admission had raised more than a few red flags, so Tracy had committed a cardinal sin of her own and advised for a long engagement. It had been her best attempt at diplomacy. She feared that Ned was anything but ready to marry Jenny and hoped that a little time would allow Ned to see that just as clearly.

Ned hadn't heeded her advice. In fact, he and Jenny married less than two months after that awkward dinner because, apparently, Jenny had always dreamed of having a May Day wedding complete with a May Pole. So, Tracy had exercised some more diplomacy and not pointed out how absurd that idea sounded. The actual wedding had been pretty absurd too.

 _May 1, 1993_

 _Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler reminded herself that silence had its place as she watched the bridal party begin their dance around the May Pole, their toast to her son and his new bride. She smiled a little as she watched her brother's oldest daughter, ten-year-old Allison, guide the little ring bearer beside and then back in front of her untangling the ribbon he was clutching and preventing him from being sucked into fray of pole. Jenny had made it quite clear that she wanted her wedding to be the talk of at least the county, if not the entire state, but Tracy doubted even her daughter in law would like to achieve fame by being responsible for some poor six-year-old being decapitated by her May Pole._

 _"_ _When Jenny asked if Cooper could be in her wedding I guess I should have asked her if ballroom dancing was a prerequisite," Julia Barrett, the mother of the younger ring bearer said._

 _Tracy turned to face Julia. "Dylan was initially very excited to be a page until I clarified that the page was not the one who wore a funny hat and told jokes."_

 _Julia laughed. "Cooper and his little friend Sarah were both court jesters for Halloween. They were completely adorable."_

 _"_ _I'm sure. Dylan was Steven Spielberg, he even convinced his father to buy him a video camera to use as a prop. It was also a bit of an early Christmas which worked out well since by Christmas morning he was too busy videotaping the festivities to pay much attention to any of his gifts."_

 _"_ _I understand, once my sister showed up for Christmas, Cooper lost interest in most of the gifts as well."_

 _"_ _Brenda, right?"_

 _"_ _Correct, she is attending Briarton-Griggs Academy on Celia's recommendation."_

 _Tracy nodded but felt uncomfortable. Her cousin Celia Quartermaine had clearly received an excellent education at Briarton-Griggs. She had gone on to become an environmental engineer and was working at ELQ-West with her father, Quentin. Yet, the mention of boarding school reminded her of everything that had led to her sending Ned off to Ethan Alan Academy. Those memories weren't the easiest to face even eleven years later._

 _The May Pole dance ended, and Allison escorted Cooper back to his mother. Julia smiled down at her son. "Did you thank Allison for helping you?"_

 _"_ _Of course, mommy," Cooper said._

 _As Julia and her son rejoined her fiancé, William Eckert, Tracy was struck by how much the earnest look on Cooper's little face reminded her of Ned. Ned had been so serious and so stoic even when he had been five or six. At the time she had just believed that was his personality, but perhaps it was just the earliest evidence of the distance in their relationship. Sometimes she wondered about that._

Afterward Tracy had reminded herself that supporting her son meant supporting his marriage. She had truly wanted to support her son. In spite of her best efforts, Ned's first marriage had been short. Perhaps she should have warned him that sometimes surprising your spouse merely leaves you in shock. She had learned that the hard way while she had been pregnant with Ned. But, at the time, while she had suspected her daughter in law wasn't above an extramarital affair, she hadn't realized she was actually having one, with ousted former ELQ counsel Paul Hornsby no less. It got worse from there when Jenny announced that she was pregnant, with Paul's baby, and demanded a divorce.

The baby really was Paul's, or at least two paternity tests claimed that, and Ned sunk into something in between despair and depression after their divorce was final in early September. Perhaps she should have been the best person to understand Ned's feelings, she knew too well what it was like to realize the person you married had perhaps never even loved you at all. Perhaps familiarity wasn't a good thing though and that was why Ned refused to talk about it, or about anything really, with her. He seemed to spend an excessive amount of time at Luke's and she had begun to wonder if he was using alcohol to self-medicate. His paternal grandfather had certainly done that. Perhaps his father had as well. He had certainly abused alcohol. It was part of why she had been so concerned when Ned wouldn't talk to her and it was clear that his friends were using drugs. Ned had never tested positive for anything, but she had still worried about alcohol. She had worried more about that when he had gone off to college at Duke although there had never really been any evidence that he was drinking excessively, or possibly at all, even after Maggie's death.

Then they met Lois. It had been the Sunday before Thanksgiving when Ned had brought her to brunch at Alan and Monica's. Tracy's first impression had been that she was nothing like Jenny, and that was good. Lois was loud and opinionated, but she was alive, and Ned seemed more alive with her than he had in months. Apparently, she was also the entertainment director at Luke's which explained Ned's recent intrigue with the place.

She had been fond of Lois even before Ned announced they would be getting married. Their wedding had been much more subdued but, in many ways, much more elegant as well. As Ned and Lois exchanged vows, she had hoped that perhaps, just like her second husband was a keeper, Ned's second wife would be a keeper too.

Sadly, Ned and Lois's marriage had lasted just under three years. Their older daughter, Brooke Lynn, had been born in the first year and Ned had been an adoring and devoted dad. He really had which was why it was so hard to see Lois push him out of their daughter's life. Tracy had tried to be understanding because she suspected that their divorce had a lot to do with the death of their younger daughter and she couldn't even begin to imagine what that had been like for Lois, or for Ned, honestly.

Ned wouldn't discuss any of that with her. He talked to her brother, his Uncle Alan, some. Alan and Monica had buried a child in between AJ and Allison. Alan had some perspective she supposed, and she tried to be grateful that Alan was there for Ned and that at least Ned was talking to someone. She was grateful, but it still hurt that Ned couldn't, or wouldn't, share the hard things with her. She was his mother. She loved him. She wanted to support him, but there were walls she couldn't seem to get past.

While Ned had been married to Lois it had seemed that a few bricks of the wall had fallen. Perhaps that was ironic since she had once heard Lois telling her friend Brenda that, at best, her mother in law hated her less than her predecessor. That overheard conversation had been painful because she didn't hate Lois. She actually really liked her, yet, the more she tried to show her that the more Lois apparently felt patronized and ridiculed. So, she had taken a step back and hoped that in time Lois might come to trust her. Or that perhaps Ned would come to understand that she would never hate anyone he loved. She hadn't even hated Jenny, initially because Ned was convinced he loved her and then after that because her sister in law had convinced her life was too short for hate. But none of that had happened because Ned and Lois's daughter had died, and their marriage fell apart.

Now Ned was married for the third time, to a third wife who didn't really seem to be much like either Jenny or Lois. Tracy sensed that Carly was a bit enamored with Ned's net worth, yet, she didn't believe that Carly had married her son only for his money, as she was afraid Jennifer Eckert truly had. Carly also seemed quite capable of forming her own opinions and was quite willing to express them. That reminded her of Lois a bit, but Carly seemed insecure and vulnerable in a way Lois never had. She also didn't imagine that Lois would have ever slept with someone else's husband. It was well known that Carly had been involved with Dr. Tony Jones long before he had even begun the divorce process. Apparently, she had also been involved with Ned at the same time since reading between the lines it was quite clear to her that Carly must have learned that Tony wasn't actually the father of her son.

While none of the decisions Carly had made were ones Tracy would want her own daughter to make she felt that there was some integrity in admitting to Ned that he was the father of her child. She could imagine it might have been tempting to just allow Tony to believe the baby was his. She decided to focus on the integrity that had brought Carly back into Ned's life. She could support that, she could definitely support the new grandchild Carly was carrying, and she loved her son desperately, so she hoped that all of the rest of the pieces might fall into place.


	10. Chapter 9: Deep Thoughts

At a table surrounded by the entire Barrington Family, Port Charles General Hospital Co-Counsel, Alexis Davis, tried to figure out exactly how she had offended Lila Quartermaine sufficiently to warrant such treatment. Perhaps Lila Quartermaine didn't realize that the Barringtons weren't much more functional as a family than the Cassadines and that was truly saying something. She probably didn't. After all, Amanda Barrington's younger daughter in law, Lorena, was a close friend of Lila's daughter in law, Dr. Monica Quartermaine.

According to Amanda, the two women had met at some Quartermaine Tea that Lila hosted in Autumn 1978 when Lorena, the first Markham Barrington Memorial Fellow had just started her social work program. Not quite two years later Monica was the matron of honor when Lorena married Derek Barrington, Amanda's younger son. Alexis suspected that their friendship had flourished as they commiserated on their experiences in the first families of Port Charles. They were both just too kind to explain that to the family matriarchs.

Alexis wasn't so kind, but she was smart. She realized that offending the President of the Hospital Auxillary or the mother of the Chief of Staff would hardly further her tenure at the hospital. For the moment, and for reasons she didn't quite understand, her tenure at the hospital was important to her cousin Stefan. So, for that reason, furthering it was important to her.

XXXXXXXX

 _So, this is what it is like to be trapped in society page nightmare,_ Liz Webber decided as she tuned out Myrna Crane's lamentations and silently buttered her roll. She and her grandmother were seated at a table with the Commissioner of Social Services, the current Mayor of Port Charles, and the owner of the only respectable funeral home in town, along with all their respective wives. The conversation had swirled from property values, to winter fashions, and the general decline of American Youth. It had been more than enough to make Liz wish she was somewhere else, anywhere else, even at the party Sarah had certainly snuck off to.

XXXXXXXX

Seated in between his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Barrett, and his current girlfriend, Keesha Ward, AJ Quartermaine chuckled a little at the irony. The seating arrangement would have been awkward for most, but he and Brenda had parted amicably and remained close friends. Brenda and Keesha were just even closer friends so his position was a bit of physical barrier to their conversation. He supposed they had tried to be kind by including him rather than talking around him. Unfortunately, they hadn't been quite kind enough to pick a topic other than shoes. _Shoes!?_

After a few moments of listening to Brenda and Keesha debate trendy, practical, and so 1995, AJ lost his countenance.

Brenda leaned into him and poked him. "You laugh! You should listen to us we're providing useful information here, Mr. three pairs of shoes is all a guy needs!" she said.

"I have more than three pairs of shoes," AJ protested! _He did! He had at least five, maybe he even had six. It wasn't like he spent every morning counting them._

Brenda raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked.

Keesha merely smiled and silently shook her head.

"Of course, every guy needs at least four pair. Black, brown, running, and tennis. Cross trainers aren't really for people who are serious about actually training," AJ said.

Brenda just rolled her eyes again and passed Keesha a knowing look.

"I appreciate the effort to include me in the conversation but perhaps a real gentleman would just trade seats and allow the two of you to carry on. I'm sure Wyndham's has some major Columbus Day Sale coming up or something right?" AJ asked.

Brenda smiled again. "Well, now that you mention it…"

XXXXXXXX

On the other side of the Versailles Room, Chapparal County Assistant District Attorney, Dara Jensen, could feel the tension between her fellow prosecutor and her date. Apparently, in the Spring of 1985, Justus Ward and Chase Murdoch had been on the same undefeated Port Charles High Debate team. Their debate backgrounds had helped mold them into brilliant litigators, so, twelve years later they were opposing counsel. As if that wasn't bad enough they were opposing counsel on the Kaylee Reynolds trial.

Of course, for Dara at least, there was an upside. DA Abby Mitchell had given the Kaylee Reynolds case to Chase rather than her. It was one thing to face off against an old friend. It was another to face off against a current lover. The latter could lead to ethics committees license sanctions for both parties and Dara had no interest in going there. Contrary to the PCPD rumor mill, she would throw away a relationship before she threw a case. Laura Spencer's acquittal for Damian Smith's murder had been the result of lack of evidence and a shrewd defense attorney nothing more, nothing less. Kaylee Reynold's acquittal would likely happen for the same reasons and Dara was glad she didn't have to try to make that case.

Dara could see a lot of similarities between the two cases. The victims were guilty of their own crimes. Damian Smith had murdered US Attorney, Bradley Ward, and had been running several insurance scams using arson. Dr. Pierce Dorman was a cardiologist who dealt drugs to finance his own cocaine habit. He had been implicated in the death of Marilyn Cooper and had abducted and tried to rape one of his female colleagues, Dr. Monica Quartermaine. When he had defended Laura Spencer for Damian Smith's murder Justus had spent an equal amount of time attempting to try her alleged victim. Dara doubted he would use a different tactic while representing Kaylee Reynolds. Her objections that the victim was not on trial had mostly fallen on death ears with the judge because Laura Spencer was a woman, a mother of two, and a volunteer at the Bradley Ward House. Dara suspected that Chase's objections might be summarily overruled as Kaylee Reynolds was a nineteen-year-old college student, who made the Dean's list at PCU, and spent her spare time volunteering at Ward House. Her baby brother had died a few months before Pierce Dorman's death when he overdosed on drugs given to him by Dr. Dorman. That had been her motivation for the murder. Or at least that was the theory that their office was running with.

Theories were fine when they led to the discovery of evidence that extinguished reasonable doubt. When theories were the only thread tying a few shreds of, circumstantial at best, evidence together they were often best not mentioned. That was the case Dara's colleague was in. To make matters worse mentioning the theories merely set up a perfect opportunity for the defense to place the victim on trial. Chase couldn't introduce motive without revealing that Dr. Dorman was a drug dealer, a drug dealer who was responsible for the death of children, like Kaylee's brother who had died only three days after his fifteenth birthday.

XXXXXXXX

From his new position at the table AJ had an excellent view of the head table where his cousin sat with his newest bride and their grandparents. It hadn't been quite a week since he had stood up as Ned's best man when he entered into his third marriage in only four years. When Ned had called and asked him to fly to Florida AJ had wanted to believe he was asking because they were family and when the chips were down they would always have each other. Ned had actually affirmed that moments before the ceremony.

 _September 27, 1997_

 _As he stood in the front vestibule outside the Chapel, moments before his cousin was about to embark on his third wedding in only four years, AJ Quartermaine had to wonder if there was any truth to the adage that the third time was the charm. For Ned and Carly's sakes he truly hoped that there might be._

 _Ned made a final adjustment to his bow tie and then turned to fully face him. "Are you ready?" he asked._

 _"_ _I'm a Quartermaine, I was born ready!" AJ said._

 _Ned raised both eyebrows and shook his head but then his countenance broke and he smiled. He clapped a hand on AJ's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here. Standing up for us, I mean. I know this probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but this isn't a decision I've made lightly, and I believe that Carly and I are doing what is best for everyone," he said._

 _"_ _As long as you and Carly are included in the everyone denominator then I think that's great. I don't know Carly well but we're family, Ned, and I know if I needed something you would have my back, so I have yours and I always will."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry if I was so harsh on you this summer. I suppose I internalized, and externalized, a bit too much of grandfather's excellence is standard mantra."_

 _"_ _You're harder on yourself than you've ever been on me I'm sure. I didn't see it for years, but I think that is Grandfather's deal too. It must be a pretty hard road, I don't think he would have made it without grandmother, so I hope Carly can be in your corner the same way," AJ offered. He supposed that was the diplomatic way to say he hoped that his cousin was finally marrying a woman who would love him flaws, family, and all._

 _AJ had been almost sixteen when Ned married Jennifer Eckert. The events which followed, and preceded, their May Day Wedding had certainly called into question whether Jenny had ever loved his cousin. In contrast, there was no doubt in AJ's mind that Lois had loved his cousin. Perhaps that lent support to the adage that sometimes love wasn't enough. His own father would agree with that, because he and his wife of almost twenty-two years had labored, compromised, and fought to honor the love they shared._

 _"_ _You know, the door hasn't closed for you at ELQ," Ned said._

 _AJ appreciated the sentiment but also noted his cousin's avoidance and diversion tactic. "I think it has and I'm ok with that. I was pursuing a career in business for the wrong reasons and I needed to acknowledge that. This summer, and Keesha's support, gave me the opportunity to do that."_

 _"_ _You and Keesha have gotten pretty serious?" Ned asked._

 _The question caught AJ by surprise. He wasn't sure that he and Ned had discussed his love life since the summer after seventh grade when, Ned had been embarking on his own ELQ summer internship, he had been crushing on Melissa McKee, and, because irony was rich and real, Melissa had been dreaming of a summer fling with Ned. "Keesha and I have been friends since she came to live with her grandmother after her mother died. We both loved Jason and he can't remember that love. It's hard to explain, he's made it so clear he wants nothing to do with either of us but sometimes I still feel like I'm stealing my cousin's fiancée."_

 _Ned winced. "I was out of line there. I guess I just wanted to believe if we all just gave Jason a little space everything would be ok. That was naïveté on my part. You don't know how many times I've replayed that moment at Luke's. How many times I wish I had gone after him when he kicked over that table. I hesitated, I gave him some space and Sonny Corinthos went outside instead. I wish I had those thirty seconds back because if I had them Jason wouldn't be a criminal. He would probably be working at ELQ or doing something else, but he wouldn't be getting shot in his girlfriend's living room and he wouldn't be walking away from someone he loves because he believes it is the only way to keep them safe."_

 _It was hard for AJ to argue with Ned's lamentations. Two years earlier their grandfather had been convinced that Jason was just doing his civic duty as a Police Detective before he came home to run ELQ. Then the accident had happened. Jason's parents had died in the crash and AJ was starting to believe that in many ways Jason's soul had died as well. Then he had been reborn, become Sonny Corinthos's errand boy, and ascended to head the Corinthos Crime Family before his twenty fifth birthday._

 _"_ _I guess we never know how things will turn out. Maybe if you had gone after Jason he just would have pushed you away. Maybe he still does have a relationship with you because you take him on his own terms. I've struggled with that I admit. It just feels so wrong. He isn't Jason and I suppose I need to just accept that."_

 _Ned seemed to really contemplate his words. "Do you accept it now?" he asked._

 _AJ shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe intellectually. Emotionally it is quite a bit harder. I'm probably not really there."_

 _"_ _I'm not either, I just fake it well," Ned said._

When AJ reflected back on their conversation in the vestibule it was Ned's last few words that stuck with him. His elder cousin was certainly never one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, and rarely one to even wear them on his face. When his daughter had died and his marriage to Lois had dissolved he had suffered in stoic silence for months. AJ had wanted to reach out to him, but he hadn't known what to say. All the words that had tumbled around in his head had seemed superficial, or forced, or even just naïve. So, he had kept his own silence. He wanted to believe that Ned understood that. He needed to believe that their conversation in the vestibule confirmed exactly that.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton began to wonder if perhaps the spotlight could be overrated. It was one thing to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and day dream. It was something else entirely to marry into a family Robin Leach had longed to feature but courted unsuccessfully most of his show's run. Aware of the lurking photographers, Carly laid a hand over her husband's and reflected on the second thoughts she had struggled with moments before the ceremony that had made her the newest Mrs. Ned Ashton.

 _September 27, 1997_

 _In the bride room at St. Dominion's Cathedral, Caroline Leigh Benson brushed out her honey colored curls and prepared to become Mrs. Carly Ashton. Her almost husband had informed her that it would be a bad idea for them to marry under anything but her legal name. He had also had his US Attorney Aunt, Abigail Donely Quartermaine, clean up any potential messes from the use of her latest alias. From Ned's standpoint that left them ready to marry for the sake of their child. Unfortunately, Carly felt anything but ready. That struck her as more than a little ironic since the wedding had been her idea all along._

 _"_ _Don't pout, you'll mess up your make up! You will have foundation lines!" her maid of honor chided._

 _Carly turned away from the mirror and stuck her tongue out at Simone._

 _Simone Torres shook her head. "Your mother was right, you are incorrigible!"_

 _The words stung but Carly hid her reaction. She wasn't about to explain to Simone that she had finally found her birth mother, or that she had seduced her husband. Even Simone wouldn't have understood that. Sure, Simone had blackmailed Dr. Ezekial MacMillan to fund her college or face his wife learning the truth about what, and exactly whom, he had been doing almost nineteen years earlier. But, once her tuition had been paid, Simone had left the MacMillans in peace._

 _Simone dropped down onto the vanity bench beside her. "Anyway, what do you have to pout about? Ned is smart, rich, gorgeous, and he seems like decent guy. That sounds like the total package to me! Does he have any brothers?" she asked._

 _"_ _Yeah, but he's ten or eleven. Even in Florida, there are laws against that!"_

 _Simone laughed. "Cousins?" she asked hopefully._

 _Carly struggled to push thoughts of Jason away. She didn't really succeed. "AJ, his best man, is twenty."_

 _"_ _He seemed kind of cute, but he's only twenty? Why couldn't he have been born five years sooner?"_

 _"_ _Because the Doctors Quartermaine would never conceive a child out of wedlock and they never married until December 1975," Carly said. It was the truth she supposed but somehow the thought gave her another moment of pause about the whole plan to marry Ned._

 _Simone reached out and took the brush away from Carly. "Is that why you're all sad? Are the Ashtons giving you a hard time about the baby?"_

 _"_ _Ned's mother is the Honorable Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler. She's a family court judge!"_

 _"_ _Which doesn't give her the right to judge you! Anyway, it isn't like Ned is marrying you just because you are pregnant with his child. I saw the way he was looking at you during the rehearsal last night."_

 _Carly cringed. She had forgotten how much of a hopeless romantic her friend Simone was. Ironically Simone was correct, Ned wasn't marrying her because she was pregnant with his child. He was marrying her because she was pregnant with his cousin's child. She was setting him up to atone with his family for a one night stand he had never had, all because she needed him to cover for his cousin who could never be just a one-night stand for her._

 _"_ _We've been friends since we were little girls. I understand your trust issues. I totally get your daddy never loved me hang ups. I have the same ones! You're looking at the girl who bribed her own father to pay for college or explain to his wife how she came to exist. I'm debt free with a journalism degree from Chapel Hill but what do I really have? I'm a dirty little secret and that shame messes up every relationship. I get you, Carly, I really do. But I've never seen you so at peace with everything, so I just hope you can trust this. Trust Ned's love! Don't doubt it just because a little pre-marital conception is getting his family's panties in a twist."_

 _Carly couldn't bring herself to admit that what her best friend was viewing as peace was really just resignation. She would marry Ned and that would allow her to keep Jason's child. She was doing what she had to do. No more, no less._

She had pushed those second thoughts, and the third and fourth which followed, aside and joined Ned at the front of St. Dominion's Cathedral because it was what she had needed to do. It still was. No more, no less.


	11. Chapter 10: It's a Celebration!

In the lady's room at Neptune's Net, a night club on Locke Street, Sarah Webber reached for the tube of fluorescent pink lipstick her friend Ali Barrington was offering. "This will be great under the black light. I still don't get how you got us in here!" she said.

"It was all Zander so just be nice, ok?" Ali asked

Sarah applied the lipstick to her lips and then smiled seductively. "I'm always nice, remember?" she said.

Ali just rolled her eyes as she took her lipstick back and passed it to her other friend, Tiffany Peterson.

Sarah couldn't really stand Tiffany. She was blonde and flighty, a lot like her older brother Steven's mother, Heather Webber, who Sarah's mother couldn't stand. Andrea Trent Webber wasn't exactly quiet about her hatred either. Of course, her husband, and Sarah's father, hardly cared if his current wife wanted to trash his former wife. Sarah was well aware that Tiffany had been Ali's BFF since first grade. Her new BFF was a bit less fickle than her father and wouldn't appreciate Sarah trashing her friend. For that reason, Sarah kept her opinions to herself.

XXXXXXXX

In the Versailles Room at the Port Charles Hotel, Ned Ashton found his cue as the wait staff began to clear away the dinner plates. It was time for him to serenade and then dance with his bride. A first dance was one of those time-honored traditions. The fact that it was hardly his first dance, or even his first dance with Carly didn't matter. Their guests needed to believe that their union was one of love and commitment. Ned had focused more on the latter when he had written the song to commemorate their union. The lyrics did not betray his true feelings but embedded in a melodic ballad the overwhelming message was one of optimistic commitment. It was fitting because that was exactly what his union with Carly represented.

Ned leaned close to Carly and whispered, "It's almost over. We just need to dance a few songs and then we can politely excuse ourselves."

Carly nodded but didn't speak.

As he stood, Ned noticed the sadness buried deep in his wife's brown eyes. Perhaps she wasn't doing any better with accepting their marriage arrangement than he was. He leaned his head down and kissed her gently if not tenderly. Then he stood fully and focused on his next task-serenading his new bride.

" _Is there love, tonight?_

 _When everyone's dreaming_

 _Of a better life_

 _In this world, divided by fear, we've got to believe that_

 _There's a reason we're here_

 _Yeah, there's a reason we're here, Oh, yeah_

 _'Cause these are the days worth living_

 _These are the years we're given_

 _And these are the moments…_

 _These are the times_

 _Let's make the best out of our lives_ "

The first verse and chorus brought Ned across the room and back to Carly. As the spotlight enveloped them he reached down for her hand and began the second verse.

" _See the truth all around_

 _Our faith can be broken_

 _And our hands can be bound_

 _But open our hearts and fill up the emptiness_

 _With nothing to stop us, is it not worth the risk?_

 _Yeah, is it not worth the risk? Oh, yeah_

 _'Cause these are the days worth living_

 _These are the years we're given_

 _And these are the moments_

 _These are the times_

 _Let's make the best out of our lives_."

Carly stood and joined him. He pulled her close and continued to sing.

" _Even if hope was shattered_

 _I know it wouldn't matter_

 _'Cause these are the moments_

 _These are the times_

 _Let's make the best out of our lives_

 _We can't go on_

 _Thinking it's wrong_

 _To speak our minds_

 _I've got to let out what's inside_

 _Is there love, tonight?_

 _When everyone's dreaming_

 _Well, can we get it right?_

 _Yeah, can we get it right?_

 _'Cause these are the days worth living_

 _These are the years we're given_

 _And these are the moments_

 _These are the times_

 _Let's make the best out of our lives_

 _And even if hope was shattered_

 _I know it wouldn't matter_

 _'Cause these are the moments_

 _These are the times_

 _Let's make the best out of our lives_

 _Oh, yeah, let's make the best out of our lives!_

 _Oh, yeah, let's make the best out of our lives_!"

As he pulled Carly into a final embrace, Ned reflected on the simple truth of his lyrics. Therein lay the challenge for them. A new song began to play, and more couples joined them on the dance floor. They both knew the drill they would dance a few more songs and then politely excuse themselves. It was hardly a monumental task, but it was starting to feel like one as the pain in his head intensified once more. Ned supposed that was only fitting as well.

XXXXXXXX

"Do me a favor?" Josh Barrington asked his friend Nikolas Cassadine.

"You may state your request fully," Nikolas said.

Josh refrained from laughing at Nikolas's unique vernacular. "You really are destined to become an attorney like your cousin, aren't you?" he asked instead.

Nikolas appeared perplexed, or perhaps he was amused. Josh couldn't always tell the difference.

"My tutors have always felt that I had a particular aptitude for the study of law. How does that relate to your request?" Nikolas asked.

"It doesn't. It was just an observation," Josh said. He was quite sure there wasn't a kind or tactful way to point out to Nikolas that he usually managed to turn ordinary conversations into depositions. So, instead, he decided to just focus on what he needed. "Will you ask Emily to dance?" he asked.

"Is that your request?"

"Yes, I want to ask Allison and she'll be more likely to go for it if that doesn't leave her sister feeling left out. So, what do you say?" Josh asked.

Nikolas didn't respond. His eyes darkened slightly, and his melancholic frown deepened as he silently analyzed the situation.

Josh had learned the hard way that there truly weren't any simple, and certainly not any spontaneous, decisions for a Cassadine Prince. It had been frustrating initially when they had been teen volunteers on Pediatrics over the summer. But over time he had gotten used to Nikolas's need for silent deliberation before things that most people would decide on a whim. He supposed everyone had their hang ups and Nikolas was a decent guy underneath his.

"I will honor your request," Nikolas said.

"Thanks! Emily is cool, and she won't step on your feet or anything."

XXXXXXXX

As she watched her parents dance, Emily Quartermaine smiled. It had certainly taken her awhile to see them as that, and to believe that accepting them didn't mean denouncing the people who had given her life and raised her as long their own lives had allowed. Her father had been a cop who died in the line of duty less than a month before her first birthday. Her memories of him were created from the photos and home movies she had watched years later and the stories her mother had told her. She had been ten when her mother lost her battle with breast cancer. It would be three years in another month. Sometimes it seemed like it had been so much longer and other times it seemed like it had been only yesterday.

A gentle hand on her shoulder pulled Emily from her reverie and she averted her eyes to see someone tall, dark, and handsome standing to her left.

"May I have the honor of this dance?" Nikolas Cassadine asked.

Emily felt her cheeks grow warm. _A prince was asking her to dance!_ She gulped. "Sure," she said and then regretted the response. It wasn't that she didn't want to dance with Nikolas. She did very much, but she was certain that sure wasn't exactly the appropriate response. She tried to put that worry aside and let Nikolas take her hand as they followed her sister, Allison, and Josh Barrington to the dance floor.

XXXXXXXX

In her husband's arms, Dr. Monica Quartermaine watched her two teenage daughters dance. "Don't look now but I think our little girls are growing up," she whispered to her husband.

Alan winked. "This must be Lorena's lucky day," he said.

"Perhaps ours too. Josh is good boy, from a good family," Monica said. Then she shook her head and laughed. "I should stop. I'm starting to sound like your father. I want our daughters, and our sons, to follow their hearts."

"You just want them to date those who are substance free?" Alan asked.

"Yes! I know I should feel like we dodged the bullet with that. Seeing Matt doing drugs at that party was a turn off and Alli and Em came to us and told us what was happening, but I just can't get past that a child is dead."

"You did what you could. You tried to talk to Mr. Reynolds, he just wasn't in a place to hear you. It's a tragedy no matter how you slice it, Monica, but you can't beat yourself up because our kids need you. I need you!"

"The trial begins on Monday," Monica said quietly. It was hard for her to wrap her head around Kaylee Reynolds being Dr. Dorman's killer. The young woman had spent time in their home, visiting her old college roommate who had become their nanny, and then later studying with their son. She had seemed kind, and respectful. At one time Monica had felt Matt Reynolds must be a good boy from a good family just based on her impression of his older sister. Of course, at one point, Dr. Pierce Dorman had been a colleague she respected and trusted, so she was hardly a good judge of character.

Then there was the possibility that her impressions of Kaylee had been correct. Perhaps, in the moment, when she had learned who was responsible for her brother's death she had just snapped. The scary thing was that Monica could almost understand that. She wasn't sure how she would have reacted if it had been one of her daughters. That scared her.

"We should discuss that at home. I know you've been subpoenaed to testify," Alan said.

"Nothing gets by you," Monica said.

Alan flashed one of his goofy grins that had drawn her in so many years ago. "Only on days that don't end in Y," he said.

XXXXXXXX

In a booth at Neptune's Net, Jamal Woods felt conflicted as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. He and Ali had met about six months ago. He was just doing his job, selling drugs at a Rave for his boss. He supposed Ali was doing her job as well working him for a little extra. Or maybe she had been because she had slipped her number in with the folded bills she handed him. He had taken a chance that she wasn't some undercover drug officer and called her.

Fortunately, at least for him, she had really been a sophomore at PC High. A blonde, wild, and incredibly spoiled sophomore. She was also the younger daughter of Barrington Jewelers heir, Malcolm Barrington. Jamal had been sure that her interest in him would be short lived at best. Eventually she would tire of thumbing her nose at her parents' authority by dating the bad boy. Six months later she was saying she loved him and Jamal was beginning to believe she really could.

The last part was what left Jamal conflicted. It wasn't that he didn't love Ali because he thought he did. He just felt like he was living a double life with her. Sure, she knew that he ran drugs sometimes to make ends meet. She had met him buying drugs so that much had to be obvious. She just had no clue who he was running drugs for and that it wasn't really something he could just walk away from. Ali believed he had come to Port Charles on a whim when he got sick of the Chicago winters. That was only half of the story.

The other half had started four years earlier when he had been thirteen. His mother had overdosed again and been shipped off to some court ordered rehab. He had already spent more time in foster care than he wanted to, so he had run. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Years later, he was starting to question if foster care would have really been worse than being a soldier for the Mancusi Crime Family.

XXXXXXXX

Back in the Versailles Room of the Port Charles Hotel, Jasper Jacks frowned as he watched his date dance with the groom. Brenda claimed that Ned was one of her best friends. Ned's second wife was one of her best friends as well which should have precluded anything between Ned and Brenda. Jax had no evidence of any impropriety there but he knew that the presumption wasn't always upheld. After all, he had slept with his brother's girlfriend, the night she declined the offer to become his brother's fiancée. There were some women you just couldn't let get away.

Jax was quite sure Brenda Barrett didn't fit in that category. Brenda was more of a functional girlfriend. She looked nice on his arm. She filled a place and helped him maintain an image. Best of all, Brenda happened to be the best friend of the woman he refused to let get away and he wasn't above using Brenda to inspire a bit of jealousy and help her see what he had known the first time he had seen her across the Port Charles Hotel lobby. They were destined to be together.

Jax had only felt that pull with two other women. One he had married, but she had died tragically in 1989. He had become a widower at age twenty-one. That was far too young so, less than twenty-four hours after he had buried his bride, he had found himself in bed with the woman who had just broken his older brother's heart. It had been a dead ended tryst. Jax had known it would have to be, but the pull had been too strong, and, for a few moments, he had forgotten about Miranda.

The moment had ended too quickly. Yet, the flame had never been fully extinguished. Jax had not been too proud to nurture the few dying embers, but his efforts had been largely in vain. There was still the matter of his brother of course. There was also more. She had a son, a son who meant everything to her. Intellectually Jax had known he needed to cut his losses. Yet, he had struggled to do so for more than six years. Then he met Lois Cerullo.

Technically, she had been Lois Cerullo-Ashton when they had first met. Some men would have been deterred by that detail. Jax might have if it had been anyone else but, from the moment he had spotted Lois across the lobby of the Port Charles Hotel, he had known he wasn't meant to let her get away. Her exotic beauty had caught his eye, but it was her fire and strength that had drawn him in and inspired him to fight for her. His father always extolled that a Jacks never walked away from a challenge. Jax had considered making Lois his exactly that, a challenge.

Initially it had been an uphill battle. Lois had been appalled that he would pursue a happily married woman. For months she had not wavered in her stance or conviction. Jax had seen that as more of a testament to her virtue and loyalty than the strength of her love for her husband. He could respect that she wasn't the kind of woman who would take her vows lightly. He knew he could also work with that if he exercised some patience and found the right partner. Unfortunately, he had selected the wrong partner sixteen months earlier. Together they had managed to break up the Ashton marriage but neither of them had been able to close the deal on a relationship in the aftermath. His co-conspirator had already moved on to another. Jax was merely biding his time waiting for Lois to acknowledge what he had known since January 9, 1996. They were meant to be together!


	12. Chapter 11: Scheming Souls

Stefan Cassadine felt spineless and inarticulate as he guided Katherine to the launch for her trip back to the Port Charles mainland. He had attempted to explain their unique situation several times over dinner. He had lost his words each and every time. _How did you explain to the woman you loved that you were half siblings? Words did not exist that could explain their twisted reality._

There was more though. There was the issue of his mother. He could imagine her reaction. She would cackle, feign amusement, and then launch into a tirade about the disappointment he had become, the disappointment he had always been. His older brother, Stavros, had been the favored son, the heir. The Cassadine lineage passed from oldest son to oldest son to oldest son. A daughter or a second son were without value, at least from an inheritance standpoint and little else had ever mattered to Helena Cassadine. That alone explained her obsession with her grandson Nikolas, Stavros's son, the Cassadine heir.

It would hardly end there. If he had believed it might then Stefan might have been able to find the strength and the resolve to have told Katherine the truth. He could handle his mother's merciless taunting. He had faced years of it on the Cassadine Isle before he was sent off to boarding school in Switzerland. Even after there had been holidays and summer vacations. His fear stemmed not from what he feared his mother would do to him, but from what she would do to Katherine. He would be ridiculed. Katherine, the indisputable evidence of Mikkos' infidelity, would be slain. That was why Stefan could never tell Katherine that she was the illegitimate daughter of Mikkos Cassadine not Avery Stanton.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," Katherine said as they walked along. She turned in towards Stefan and looked up at him with anticipation.

Stefan offered her a quick chaste kiss on the cheek.

Katherine pursed her lips into a pout. She batted her eyelashes for effect.

In the past that would have been more than enough to draw him in. In the past he would have been in her arms. Instead Stefan steeled himself, and his resolve. He took a few steps away from Katherine and quickened his pace. "We shouldn't keep Cyrus waiting," he offered.

When they reached the launch Stefan addressed Cyrus, "Please ensure that Ms. Bell returns home safely."

Cyrus nodded. "Of course, Master Cassadine, shall I then wait for Ms. Davis and Master Nikolas as well?" he asked.

"Yes, Cyrus, you shall," Stefan said. He maintained his eye contact with Cyrus as he extended an arm to help Katherine into the boat. He refused to drop his countenance. He didn't want to see the disappointment in her face.

"I'll call you in the morning, Stefan. We'll make plans for our ride," Katherine said.

Stefan heard the desperation in her voice. He knew he would be unavailable. Eventually Katherine would get the message that he was always unavailable to her and would always be unavailable to her. She would move on. Mac Scorpio had left town in August, so Stefan suspected she might go back to chasing after a certain married ELQ Corporate Counsel, or perhaps she would truly find love. He realized he wanted that for her even if he doubted he would ever find it for himself. "Goodnight, Katherine," Stefan said. Then he quickly turned away from the launch and trudged along the path back to the main house.

XXXXXXXX

Rex Stanton lingered for a few moments and watched his bed companion sleep before he extricated himself from beneath the satin sheets and down comforter. Standing upright beside the king size bed in his suite at the Port Charles Hotel he glanced over for another moment to assure himself that Lucy hadn't awoken. She hadn't.

Rex chuckled, on his stroll into the suite bathroom, as he recalled how easily the valium had dissolved into Lucy's glass of the champagne earlier. He just hoped the dose would be sufficient that she wouldn't awaken before he returned. It would be convenient, although not absolutely essential, if Lucy were to believe that he had spent the entire night in bed beside her.

Rex had learned the hard way not to leave things to chance. He had a ready explanation in case Lucy should awaken. Unfortunately, that ready explanation depended on the cooperation of his youngest niece, Danielle. In recent months Danielle had become less and less cooperative. First, she had gotten engaged to the ethical, yet boring, PCGH intern, Dr. Jake Marshak. Then she had refused to further his agenda by getting a job at Baldwin, Jordan, and Baldwin. At the same time Danielle owed him too much and was far too afraid to deny him completely. For those reasons, Rex was confident that she would back up his tale for Lucy if it came to that. Life would just be much neater if it didn't have to come to that.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Matt Harmon wheeled through the automatic doors into the Port Charles General Hospital Emergency Department fifteen minutes before his scheduled twelve-hour overnight shift. His fourth rotation was winding to a close. In just over a week he would be starting on his fifth block, Cardiology, with Dr. Monica Quartermaine. Unfortunately, he first had to get through a block of overnights with Dr. Larmon, the EM attending one of his fellow interns had claimed made Dr. Burgess seem flexible, accommodating, and supportive.

 _July 11, 1997_

 _Dr. Matt Harmon balanced his cafeteria takeout box on his lap a bit precariously preparing for the stretch to reach the door into the house staff lounge. Just as he was about to brave the process he heard a familiar voice behind him._

 _"_ _Hey, let me get that!" Dr. Jake Marshak offered as reached around and opened the door._

 _"_ _Thanks, man," Matt said as he wheeled past Jake into the house staff lounge._

 _Dr. Julie Devlin glanced over from the table where she was eating a sandwich out of one of those Tupperware sandwich boxes Matt remembered from elementary school. "Matt, you got the message that Dr. Quartermaine's port insertion was pushed back until afternoon, right?" she asked._

 _"_ _Yes, there was a problem with the platelet count. They're going to transfuse before we go to the OR, that's wise," Matt said as he set his takeout box on the table where Julie sat with another of their internship mates, Dr. Chris Ramsey._

 _Chris scowled in Matt's direction before taking another bite of the salad he had ordered delivered from the Port Charles Grille. "I'm surprised that Dr. Quartermaine is allowing you to scrub," he said with a raise of his eyebrows._

 _Matt opted to ignore Chris's insinuation that his disability was an automatic disqualifier for surgery. Instead he just opened his cafeteria takeout container and started to eat._

 _Julie apparently missed the insinuation all together. "Dr. Quartermaine lets us do a lot. He is definitely a lot more confident about my abilities than I am," she said._

 _Julie's words were punctuated with a nervous giggle and Matt noticed that she quickly took another bite of her sandwich as if to save her from further comment. They had both been assigned to the general surgery service for their first rotation of internship, so he had come to realize that Julie's self-esteem wasn't exactly soaring. He had also learned that Julie's father was also a physician at PCGH. Apparently, he had taken a month of vacation to coincide with his daughter's first month of internship to allow her to establish herself on her own merits. Matt could relate to the importance of that in ways he never intended to share with his fellow interns._

 _The slam of a door interrupted Matt's thoughts and he looked up to see another intern classmate Dr. Joe Scanlon come through the door._

 _"_ _Life in the ER just isn't all it's cracked up to be on television," Chris quipped._

 _Joe glared in Chris's general direction. "I just did a twelve-hour overnight shift with Dr. Larmon which turned into a sixteen-hour shift because I had to stay after to dictate all of his charts. I swear the guy makes Dr. Burgess seem flexible, accommodating, and supportive!"_

 _Laughter quickly enveloped the room, but Matt didn't join in. He wouldn't say he was looking forward to his own ER rotation, but he supposed he saw their Internship Program Director slightly differently._

 _Chris must have noticed his silence. "Oh, lighten up, Matt, I promise Burgess isn't lurking behind the door listening in. I guess you've gotten so good at sucking up you can't even turn it off for a minute!"_

Three months later, Matt saw a lot of irony in Chris's words. Actually, there had been irony at the time as Chris had been on his OB-GYN rotation and spending all of his free time in the ER just in case there was a trauma or something he might be able to "assist" Dr. Quartermaine with. Of course, he did have to agree that Dr. Larmon would never be a house staff choice for attending of the year. He also felt even more convinced that his first impressions of Dr. Burgess, that beneath her tough exterior there was a sense of humanity and caring for her patients…and her house staff, had been spot on. The last part was another issue entirely. The more he got to know Dr. Burgess the more she intrigued him. That was a problem because even if he could somehow penetrate through her exterior Teflon she would still be his superior and the latter made her forbidden fruit. Perhaps another dreadful overnight shift with Dr. Larmon could be a blessing in disguise…it would certainly keep him from thinking about Ellen.

XXXXXXXX

As the boat approached the Port Charles Mainland at Lock 10, Katherine reflected on the abomination of the evening. It was bad enough that Stefan hadn't proposed, as she had imagined he would, but he hadn't even invited her to stay the night. Katherine didn't understand the distance, and almost cold formality, that Stefan had inserted into their relationship, but she had a pretty good idea that Alexis had to be involved. She always was.

 _January 17, 1997_

 _Ensconced in a cashmere throw blanket, Katherine Bell settled down onto the sofa in the Wyndamere Front Parlor and picked up the tea cup from the tray Mrs. Lansbury had just brought in. She reflected on her current circumstances while she sipped her tea. Circumstances was an apt term. Stefan had never meant to harm her, he had merely been trying to frame Luke Spencer for attempted murder. Unfortunately, the bullet had lodged in her liver instead of one of the weeping oaks along the path to the manor. She had been rushed to Port Charles General Hospital where the surgeon on call, Dr. Alan Quartermaine had inserted a chest tube to inflate her lung and then taken her to surgery to remove the bullet and part of her damaged liver._

 _Some had suggested she had been fortunate that Dr. Alan Quartermaine had been the trauma surgeon on call that night. His surgical skill was practically unparalleled, at least in Chapparal County. Others had offered pity and suggested that she had merely been a victim of unfortunate circumstance. Katherine herself had known much better. While the circumstances were unfortunate Katherine Bell had never been a victim in her life and when she had awoken from the anesthesia after surgery she had affirmed that December 2, 1996 wasn't about to be any different._

 _Sure, she had played the victim card over the years. It had suited her purposes at the time. Playing the victim could be a fruitful strategy, it didn't require that one had actually been victimized just that other well-intentioned people might believe they had. That had basically been the root of her relationship with Scott Baldwin and perhaps even with Ned Ashton although when Katherine was honest she knew she and Ned had never had a relationship. It was different with Stefan. He acknowledged she wasn't a victim and seemed to respect her even more for that. She was beginning to believe that she might have finally met her soul mate. Katherine smiled at that thought as she sipped some more of her tea._

 _Katherine's blissful thoughts were soon interrupted by a familiar, yet unwelcome voice. She frowned as she saw Alexis Davis coming towards her. Then she gulped when she realized what Alexis held in her hand. It looked exactly like the diary she had hidden in her suite._

 _"_ _You have the moral perspicacity of seaweed," Alexis said._

 _Katherine wasn't about to admit to Alexis that she was unclear what she had just implied. Alexis's tone and facial expression clearly conveyed her disgust anyway. Instead she reached for the leather bound black book._

 _Alexis pulled the book back and away out of reach. "You need not bother. I have already made a copy for Stefan," she said._

 _"_ _Stefan will never believe you! You have no proof that book is actually mine," Katherine asserted. Yet, even as she offered the words she didn't believe them. It wouldn't be hard to realize the book was hers when one started to read about her dirty deals with Damian Smith, her efforts to defraud Scott Baldwin, and how she had drugged Ned Ashton._

 _Alexis didn't say anything more. She merely cackled and retreated to her own quarters to await Stefan's return._

Alexis's departure had left Katherine to lament her situation and attempt a cover story. She hadn't come up with much and by the time Stefan had returned she had prepared herself for banishment. Except the banishment had never happened. Stefan had returned her diary to her unread. He had stated that she would share her secrets with him in her own time. Then he had taken her out to a romantic dinner at the Port Charles Grille and left Alexis home to stew and sulk.

Katherine smiled at the earlier memory but then frowned as she started to question what had changed. There was definitely distance in her relationship with Stefan. She had tried to ignore it at first, but it had only grown and become impossible to deny. So, she had faced the facts and worked to pull him back in. That had seemed to work. Or maybe she had just wanted to believe it had. By the time the boat pulled up to the pier at Lock 10 of the Port Charles Harbor Katherine had accepted that she was on the verge of losing Stefan. She had also reaffirmed her vow to fight. If Alexis thought she could run, her off so easily then Alexis was sorely mistaken.


	13. Chapter 12: Closing Time

Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler met her older son's eyes and saw pain. That was a far too familiar sight so one might think that after twenty-nine years she would have figured out how to address it. Yet, she hadn't. There was a distance in her relationship with her older son that was very different from the relationship she had with his younger siblings. The truth was that as much as all three of her children were different, she was a much different mother to Dylan and Shannon than she had ever been to Ned. She had her own guilt and grief surrounding that.

Ned had been born a few months after she had caught his father -her husband- consummating a relationship with his secretary on his desk. Ned had been only two months old when the divorce had been finalized and she had returned home to her parents. Her mother had largely raised her son while she pulled her life back together and pursued an education. The latter had been her father's plan. He had never approved of her marriage to Lord Lawrence Ashton, especially not when she had been barely eighteen. She was nearly certain that her mother had threatened him with something unspeakable if he dared to voice how warranted his objections had been. So, instead, Edward Quartermaine had reminded her that she had an education fund, not a trust fund.

She had started classes at Port Charles University that fall. It hadn't exactly been Columbia, the Ivy league institution in Manhattan where her father had earned his MBA and where her younger brother, Alan, had enrolled a few weeks earlier; but Columbia would have meant abandoning her son one way or another. Either he would have remained behind with her parents or he would have been abandoned with a nanny in the city. Neither had seemed ideal. Unfortunately, in retrospect, Tracy wasn't sure the path she had taken had been anything close to ideal for her son either.

In 1972 she had graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics and finance theory. Ned was four and she had her sights set on law school, then a job as pro-counsel for her father's company. Somewhere along the way the goal changed. She graduated from law school but took the position at Social Services instead. By then Ned had been seven. Months later she had missed his eighth birthday in the midst of the Prescott trial. Her younger brother, an overworked surgery resident himself, had managed a rare day off so he and his medical student wife took their nephew skiing. Ned had claimed it was one of his best birthdays ever. That had been bittersweet. It wasn't until over a year later when the Port Charles Hurricane struck her son's school playground that Tracy had accepted what a failure she was as a mother.

 _September 15, 1977_

 _As she made her way through the swarm of onlookers outside the emergency entrance of Port Charles General Hospital, Tracy Quartermaine offered silent prayers for her son. The message passed to her by the bailiff had been succinct._ Her son had been injured at school. She needed to get to PCGH. _Normally Tracy Quartermaine valued succinct, but not where her son's life was concerned. Anyway, he will be fine would have only been four extra words. Four important extra words, yet they hadn't been there, and it was hard to not focus on that._

 _Inside the hospital, Tracy made her way to the Emergency Department front desk with trepidation. Yet, before she could blurt out the words her younger brother appeared and whisked her back into the actual emergency room with as much authority as a third-year surgical resident could muster._

 _"_ _Is he alright?" Tracy asked desperately once she and Alan were past the double doors._

 _"_ _It's a displaced fracture but Dr. Stratton feels he should be able to reduce it. He shouldn't need actual surgery per se," Alan explained as he led her down a hallway to the front block of exam rooms._

 _When they reached the appropriate room, Alan wrapped his arm around her shoulder for a moment and squeezed. "I have to go check a repeat X-ray on a patient I just put a Chest tube in. I'll stop back after that. Dr. Stratton is finishing up with a compound fracture in the OR and then he will be right down," he said. Then, with one of his own stoic smiles, her brother was off to attend to his patient._

 _From the doorway, Tracy took a moment and assessed the scene. She winced at the odd angle of her nine-year-old son's left arm. She took another deep breath and went to him._

 _As she started to lay a hand on his right shoulder Ned drew back and then looked up at her warily but didn't speak._

 _Tracy received, and tried to respect, her son's nonverbal cue. She hid the pain of rejection and forced a smile. "Your Uncle Alan says you're going to be just fine, darling. Dr. Stratton will be down soon to get your arm fixed up," she said._

 _Ned nodded silently but didn't speak._

 _Tracy saw the pain deep in her son's brown eyes. That tore at her heart more than his rejection. Or perhaps it tore at her heart even more because of his rejection. She was helpless with the knowledge that Ned wouldn't let her soothe that pain away. "Should I ask the nurses if you can have some medicine for the pain?" she asked._

 _Ned didn't really answer her question. "Will Uncle Alan be back soon? He promised he would be here when they fixed my arm. He said it would hurt more when they put the bone back in place but then it would feel better and heal."_

 _"_ _Your uncle went to check on one of his patients. I'm sure he will come back as soon as he is finished. Is there anything I can do, Ned?"_

 _Ned merely shook his head._

Alan had returned moments before Dr. Stratton. She had stepped out and he had stayed while Dr. Stratton realigned Ned's radius and then casted it in hard plaster of paris. His wife had shown up then with a pack of colored markers, so Ned could have everyone sign his cast. Ned had been touched by the gift. He had professed that his Aunt Monica always gave him the best gifts. Tracy remembered she had told her son he was fortunate to have such a kind aunt. He was, and Tracy knew that neither Monica or Alan were to blame for all that was lacking in her relationship with her son. She knew she had to own that herself.

Unfortunately, taking ownership hadn't brought her any closer to fixing things with her son. Twenty years later she had accepted that when her son became stoic and sullen her younger brother had a much better chance of reaching him than she did. That was just their painful reality and, because she loved her son, she had learned to let go of her own hurt feelings if that allowed him to have what he needed. With that thought, she made her way across the room to her brother.

XXXXXXXX

Detective Allison Jordan took a deep breath as she started up the front steps of the Port Charles Police Department. It was hard to understand how three months of maternity leave had basically flown by. It really seemed like it had only been yesterday that she had held her newborn daughter in her arms and looked into her pale green eyes, clearly a gift from her father. But days had passed, as they always did, Mackenzie was two months old, she was back at work, picking up her share of the Detective overnight call schedule, and trying not to miss her daughter too much.

While work kept her from her daughter, it also helped her feel closer to her late husband, Malcolm Xavier Jordan. Mac had actually started his career in law enforcement as a PCPD Officer in 1987. He had been seventeen and the son of a local defense attorney, who had tripped him up on cross a few times truth be told. Mac had always sworn that had merely inspired him to make sure his documentation was impeccable and that he never cut corners. He had told her that when she had been a Boston PD rookie in early 1991. Allison smiled a little when she remembered that moment and then their first date eighteen months later, after he had left her precinct for a job with Internal Affairs. They had married less than two years after that first date.

Working IAB had given Mac the opportunity to pursue law school and then the background and experience to be a top candidate for the city of Boston prosecutor's office. He had been on the cusp of a promising career. His successful prosecution of Thomas Muldoon launched his career. It also cut his life short when Thomas's brother, Darren, shot him on the courthouse steps one week after the verdict.

Seven months had passed since that fateful February afternoon. She had left Boston and returned to her late husband's childhood hometown. His parents had understood her loss, her need to raise his daughter in a such a way that she would always know her father had been a good man who would have loved her, and even her need to continue in law enforcement. Her mother in law, Marge, watched Mackenzie when she had to work. Her own mother was too busy trying to marry her off to the next wealthy suitor that came along. That had been another reason to move to Port Charles.

When she stepped out of the elevator, on the fourth floor of the PCPD, Allison immediately spotted her partner, Detective Alex Garcia. To an extent they had become partners by default. Approximately twenty-four hours before her first official day of work Detective Garcia's former partner, Detective Marcus Taggert, had turned an interrogation room into a taxpayer funded sauna. Neither Sonny Corinthos, or Mac Scorpio, the PCPD Commissioner at the time, had really appreciated his ingenuity and he had been rewarded with a two-week suspension. That had left his former partner to be paired with the newest detective transfer into the department. Or at least that was the official perspective on the assignment. Detective Garcia believed the assignment had been a bit more intentional than that. He had told her that at the time.

 _March 13, 1997_

 _By the time her new partner pulled his unmarked car into the lot behind the PCPD, Detective Allison Jordan was ready for her first day to go down in the history books. Unfortunately, it was only 11:30. She supposed she would have to settle for a lunch break. Her father in law had told her that The Recovery Room, across Division Street from the PCPD, was the lunch spot for Port Charles finest. Apparently real detectives in Port Charles didn't believe in brown bag._

 _"_ _I'll get started on those D-13 forms," Allison offered as she got out of the car._

 _"_ _I think they will keep until after lunch," Detective Alex Garcia said._

 _"_ _I don't mind," Allison offered simply and started across the parking lot towards the back door of the PCPD. Perhaps it was more that she minded less delaying her lunch to do the report than she minded the cold glares Alex had been sending her since they first left the PCPD shortly after eight._

 _"_ _Wait!" Alex cried._

 _Allison turned her head back to face him as her fingers curled around the door handle. "Yes," she said simply._

 _Alex took a few long, but silent, strides towards her and then stopped just a foot away. "I realize that I've probably conveyed otherwise this morning, but I don't have anything against you. Come on, let me buy you some lunch and take a second chance at making a good first impression," he said._

 _Allison saw something earnest in his face. She wondered if she could have misjudged him. She knew his partner had been suspended. He was probably upset about that. He probably was more frustrated with the situation than with her specifically. She was also sensitive and vulnerable and perhaps was reading more into the situation than was really there. "If you're buying at Kelly's then we have a deal," she said._

 _Alex chuckled and then pulled his keys back out of his pocket. "Sure, I could use a good cup of chowder."_

 _XXXXXX_

 _"_ _So, how did you hear about this place?" Alex asked as they worked their way through bowls of Clam Chowder._

 _"_ _According to my husband, this place was the original PCPD lunch spot. Or at least it was back in the 80s before Detective Kelly Sr. was murdered and before Detective Kelly Jr left the PCPD for the state police force. I'm guessing that was before your time."_

 _"_ _I moved here, from Albuquerque, in the beginning of 1991."_

 _Allison suspected that Alex might have actually filled the vacancy created when her husband transferred to the BPD in the summer of 1990. She decided not to mention that. "Was that a bit of culture shock?" she asked instead._

 _Alex chuckled. "Just a bit. I needed a change," he said._

 _Allison sensed there was much more her new partner wasn't telling her. She let that go. She wasn't sure it was any of her business and it certainly wasn't on the first day. "Sometimes a change can be a good thing," she agreed._

 _Alex shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes," he said. He paused and took a bite of cornbread. "Maybe this partner shakeup will be a good thing. Or maybe I don't have the right to an opinion."_

 _"_ _I understand if you have loyalty to your old partner. In fact, I think I would be disappointed if you didn't. Maybe this is a just a situation where we have to do what we have to do. Right now, that involves working together," Allison suggested._

 _"_ _Entendido!" Alex agreed. He paused for a moment and then added, "It is the Spanish variant of fair enough. I only heard my father say it to my mother about a million times."_

 _"_ _I know. I took Spanish in college at Boston University, but I learned a lot more working patrol in East Boston."_

 _"_ _You probably learned a lot more than Spanish slang," Alex said._

 _"_ _That too. * I was a pretty naïve little girl in the beginning, honestly. I was fortunate to work with some great people who made my career what it's become. They gave me a chance. I'm not looking for anything more than that here," Allison said._

 _"_ _You gave me a second chance, so I guess that's the least I can do," Alex said with a smile._

 _Allison returned the smile. She knew it wasn't really that simple, and everything wasn't really resolved but it was certainly a start. She could work with that, and honestly, she would have to._

In spite of their less than auspicious beginnings, they had built enough of a partnership over the next three months that Alex had requested that he not be reassigned during her maternity leave. Allison hadn't let that go to her head. After all, she herself had gotten a chance to get to know Marcus Taggert during her first three months in the department.

"Officers Johnson and Owens are on scene at Neptune's Net. Chief Douglas wanted us to back them up if necessary," Alex said as she joined him.

"Sure, what's going on?"

"Assault in progress. Owens will radio in if it is anything more than the combination of a little too much alcohol and testosterone," Alex said as she joined him.

"Sometimes that combination can be more than enough," Allison said.

"Entendido!"

"Entendido, indeed," Allison agreed.

XXXXXXXX

As he led his date from the Port Charles Hotel, Jasper Jacks was already focusing on the deal he would broker in a few hours. It was a little past ten o'clock in Port Charles, NY but it was already after six the next morning in Muscat where Saturday marked the first day of the new business week. That left him less than four hours before trading opened on the Muscat Securities Market. If he was appropriately industrious that would give him sufficient time to review his analyst's latest report and place a quick strategic call to his older brother, Jerry. What he didn't have time for was to listen to Brenda prattle on about her concern about Ned.

When the valet pulled his black BMW up in front of the hotel, Jax made it a point to first open the passenger door for Brenda and then walked around the front of the car to slip a generous tip to valet before he got into the driver's seat. He heard Brenda sigh deeply when he got into the car. He took in her face in the glow of the promenade lighting. In a word, she truly was beautiful, and there was something in her eyes that drew him in. Or at least they had drawn him in enough to hire her as the spokes model for his relaunched Cosmetics Company, Jax Cosmetics. That had been a business decision. She had a face that could, and would, sell.

Their relationship had started off as business. Then he had needed a date for a reception at the United Nations. His first choice had been Lois, of course. Unfortunately, she had other commitments, so he had invited Brenda. He had figured that the media interest would only further the advertising campaign. He had also hoped that Lois might realize what she could be missing out on…him!

Lois was at least pretending to be oblivious. On the converse, Lois's ex-husband, Ned, had been acutely aware of the event. He had argued that the nine-year age gap was too much. He had reminded him that Brenda wasn't even old enough to drink legally. Jax had pretended to not care about Ned's distaste but, secretly, he had enjoyed it. That had been an added bonus for the relationship. He never knew when another source of distraction for the ELQ Pro-Counsel might come in handy.

For that reason, Jax decided to at least pretend to be interested in Brenda's latest concern. "Perhaps Ned and Carly's relationship isn't as sudden as you think. Didn't you say he kept Lois hidden from the family until he was practically ready to marry her?" he asked.

Brenda shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't really know either of them then, but, yes, that was definitely Lois's perspective. Ned claims he was afraid of his family overwhelming her."

Jax was quite sure that Lois could handle anything the Quartermaines could dish out. He admired that but decided it wasn't exactly the time to share that with Brenda. "Does that surprise you?" he asked her instead.

"The Quartermaines really aren't that bad. Lila is wonderful. Alan and Monica have always been fair and kind, even in the beginning when Emily was teaching me how to do laundry. Underneath it all, Edward just wants the best for his family. Ok, so he just has some less than conventional approaches to trying to achieve that. I still refuse to believe that he would have ever done anything to hurt Brooklynn," Brenda said.

"That is exactly why Lois would suggest that you live in a state of denial," Jax said with a chuckle.

Hurt registered on Brenda's face but she didn't say anything. She released a deep sigh and turned her head slightly to look out the window.

Jax drove in silence for another two minutes until they pulled into the driveway at 1866 Lilac Drive. Wordlessly Brenda slipped a pass card into his palm and he waved it to open the gate. He pulled forward and parked at the top of the horseshoe driveway in front of the Quartermaine Mansion. "Don't pout, it isn't becoming for a young woman of such beauty," he said.

Brenda exhaled with obvious frustration at his words. "That sounds like something my sister, Julia, would say," she said.

Jax heard disdain in Brenda's words. However, because he knew Julia Barrett, it was hard to truly take offense. He wasn't about to mention that to Brenda, or to reveal the admiration he held for her older sister. He knew she wouldn't appreciate the information and he was hardly ready to show his hand. Jax knew that Julia was the kind of woman one shouldn't let get away. He was sure Clint Buchanan had more than a few regrets. His brother Jerry definitely did and, it was because of those that Jax had never felt free to act on his feelings. So, Julia had been a dead ended tryst. But, for a moment, she had made him forget about Miranda. No one else had ever done that. However, he wanted to believe that, if she would just give them half a chance, Lois could as well.

"Hmm, well, older siblings are right on occasion, I suppose," Jax said.

Brenda shrugged her shoulders silently. Then she released another deep breath. "On that note, I think it is time I called it a night. I promised Katelyn I would go to her junior swim team practice so she could show me the new stroke she learned and then Emily has a cross country meet in Rochester," she said.

Then, with a pert kiss on his cheek, Brenda got out of his car and started up the inlaid stone path to the front door. As he watched her walk away Jax began to wonder if there was some truth to Julia's concern that Brenda had forsaken her Barrett heritage to become a Quartermaine. Julia hadn't actually told him that. He had overheard one of her conversations with Ned and the Buchanan family illegitimate heir, Cord Roberts.


	14. Response to Reviews

I appreciate all thoughts, suggestions, and feedback. It helps so keep it coming!

More specifically:

-With the caveat that I am not done with this story yet, and if my muse ends up deciding that a certain couple really does or doesn't work I don't override that, at this point, I do not anticipate that Carly and Ned will be married long term. However, I do anticipate that Ned/Carly will both be changed by their marriage and both walk away with a different appreciation for each other. For the Ned/Lois fan(s) I could see them reconciling (perhaps after reconciling with Jason, Carly might even use her scheming powers for good and try to hasten that reconciliation).

-I believe that actual GH canon is that Jax was originally very into Lois and oblivious to Brenda. Brenda actually started hanging out with him to keep him away from Lois (as a favor to Ned and to an extent Lois who was not interested). I think she also did that to distract herself from Sonny & Lily who were embarking on marriage. I twisted canon and had Brenda date Miguel until Sonny was ready to leave Lily (and in Brenda's very naïve mind she thought that Miguel and Lily would give things another chance and it would all be fine) and then being found in the rain by AJ (who is sober and a bit more stable) after Sonny decided to stay in his marriage due to Lily's pregnancy. After Lily died Brenda and AJ spent a lot of time together and dated until Brenda returned to Sonny again. They got engaged and then Sonny left her (and Port Charles) to keep her safe. Now she is rebounding with Jax (who had a clandestine affair with her sister a few years earlier-which is also I think supposed to be GH canon).

-Jax and Katherine's scheming is not GH canon (and in this Ned and Katherine were never married and Ned was never a bigamist) but I think it fits. Obviously Ned and Lois divorced but neither of them were open to starting new relationships out of the embers of their marriage. Katherine decided to cut her losses and move on with Stefan but Jax is still trying to play the long game. I guess we'll see if that works for him.

-Jason will be making an appearance in the next few chapters. He isn't as involved in the first part of this because he is kind of staying away to keep his child safe and running the PC mob. He has some scenes and there are several Ned/Jason, Ned/Carly, and Jason/Carly flashbacks that explain how Ned and Carly's marriage came to be.

-Robin is away at medical school for the majority of the story. She appears in a flashback (or possibly two) but I don't see her and Jason being together again especially since in this Michael is a biological Jarly baby.

-Liz is perhaps a little less wild than I think she was on canon in 1997 although Audrey is extremely hard on her and thinks Sarah is the perfect grandchild. She is pretty secretly crushing on Lucky who is pretty openly into her older sister who is officially dating Nikolas but sneaking around with Zander Smith (who is dealing drugs at the raves she and Alli Barrington sneak off to). I'm not sure exactly where all of that is going but if you're looking for some early sweet Liz & Lucky it will probably happen.

Please comment with other questions or ideas…


	15. Chapter 13: Maintaining Connections

Ned Ashton collapsed onto his own bed and then winced as his head swum and the pain intensified when he bent forward to remove his shoes. His Uncle Alan laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok I'll take care of this," he offered.

Ned straightened slowly. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"I had hoped the Maxalt would be a game changer for you. Your grandfather did too, you know he didn't push that drug through just for the business bottom line," Alan said as he removed his wing tips.

"Right, and I'm sure that he thought he was doing his part by stressing me out so that my blood pressure would be up enough to tolerate long term prophylactic B-blocker therapy," Ned said.

Alan chuckled as he crossed the room to the dresser and opened a drawer to retrieve pajamas. "You know, if you present it that way, I'm sure he would agree, but, Ned, honestly, all we really want is for you to find your own way to peace with all of this. If that isn't possible at ELQ I think even your grandfather will come to understand."

"Not everything is about ELQ," Ned said.

"Don't tell your grandfather that," Alan quipped as he helped him change out of his tuxedo.

"I'll figure it out somehow, just not tonight," Ned said as he fumbled to turn back the bed without fully opening his eyes.

"As long as you believe that, and you remember that, no matter how awkward it all seems, your mother loves you, I think you will," Alan said as he pulled the sheets and down comforter back up over his nephew.

Ned didn't respond to his uncle's lament. He knew his mother loved him, but it was often so much more complicated. He wasn't naïve enough to not realize that his marriage to Carly had certainly added another layer. He knew on some level the marriage concerned his mother. He also knew, on another level, that if his mother and Lois hadn't been able to find any common ground it was pretty futile to hope that his mother and Carly might.

Alan broke the uncomfortable silence with a few pats to his shoulder. "I'll bring you up some ice. Is there anything else you need?" he asked.

"No, and thank you," Ned said. He knew he should be grateful for his uncle's care, concern, and compassion, and he was. Yet, it all seemed far too familiar to an earlier time and as he buried his throbbing head in his pillow the moment came back to him.

 _August 14, 1996_

 _Ned Ashton's head throbbed more as the dial tone reverberated in his ear. His hand shook as he reached over and hung up the phone and then collapsed back against the couch in his Uncle Alan's study. Technically it was his Aunt Monica's house, but Alan had a few rooms of his own or something. Perhaps his latest migraine was a blessing in disguise maybe it would distract him from the fact that he had lost a child and his wife hated him._

 _"_ _Here," Dr. Alan Quartermaine said as he passed the empty emesis basin back to his nephew. "Did you reach Lois, or do you want me to just take you home?"_

 _Ned could only shake his head and then reflexively grab both temples as new pain overcame him. "Could I just stay here tonight?"_

 _Alan wrapped an arm around his nephew. "Of course, you may. The girls are having a sleep over with Faith Ward and I think Kirk, Dylan, and Cooper are building some elaborate fort, so your head will be much happier if we avoid the East Wing. I'll help you upstairs."_

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _Later, Ned lay in bed, but couldn't sleep. He was still awake several hours later when his Aunt Monica came home from the hospital. He heard her voice, full of more tension than he thought was typical, in the hallway._

 _"_ _Monica, wait," Alan called._

 _"_ _Alan, I'm fine. I'm just tired, it was a long day, and I'm probably going to have a lot of them until Dr. Ford comes back from vacation. Now, I'd like to make sure that Allison put clean sheets on the bed in the guestroom, so it will be ready when Celia gets here and get some sleep myself. If you're still worried about me, we can talk more in the morning."_

 _Ned wondered if they would. If you changed the identifying details and added a lot more bitterness it would sound like most of the conversations Lois had with him._

 _"_ _What I was trying to tell you was that Ned is asleep in that guest room. I put sheets on the bed on the one down the hall for Celia. She won't be here until tomorrow afternoon anyway," Alan said._

 _"_ _Why is Ned asleep in our guestroom?"_

 _"_ _He's in the middle of migraine," Alan offered._

 _"_ _It didn't occur to you to offer to drive him home?" Monica asked._

 _In spite of his throbbing head, Ned was curious to hear how Alan dug himself out of his attempt to not lie to his wife. Alan would keep their secret though, whether it was because technically it was a matter of patient confidentiality or because he didn't think Lois' concerns were completely out of left field Ned wasn't certain. Honestly, he was afraid to ask._

 _"_ _I think he just wanted to lie down and didn't really care where."_

 _"_ _You know, he's had a lot of these headaches recently. Are you sure that this isn't something more than a migraine? Your mother had that aneurysm. They can be hereditary."_

 _"_ _I think he's just stressed. He and dad have some deal going with the Buchanans or something. I'm not sure of the details and I really don't want to know. I think he will be ok, he just needs time to work through stuff in his own way," Alan said._

 _Ned wondered if his uncle really believed that or if he just didn't want to have to explain other things to his wife. Alan and Monica were big on not keeping secrets in their marriage. Once he and Lois had been. Of course, they hadn't had a real conversation since he had told her that their daughter had died. Sometimes he was afraid they would never have another one._

Memories of Lois, and the daughter they lost, were still painful over a year later. Ned suspected they always would be. Perhaps that was the point.

XXXXXXXX

"Is he going to be ok?" Carly asked when Dr. Alan Quartermaine came back down front stairs of his nephew's home.

Alan decided to focus on the fact that Carly did seem to care about Ned's wellbeing and not get caught up in the reality that she didn't even know her husband well enough to realize he got migraine headaches. "He has had migraine headaches since he was pretty young. The first one was after his cousin Alexandria's funeral, I guess he must have been thirteen," he said.

"Shouldn't he be in the hospital or something?" Carly asked.

"Usually these can be managed at home," Alan said.

Carly raised an eyebrow. "Usually?"

"Sometimes symptomatic treatments and IV fluids may be needed if the attack and the vomiting persist. In most cases patients do well after some rest in a quiet, dark, environment."

"In English, does that mean I should just let him sleep this off?" Carly asked.

"I suppose you could say that. I'm going to bring some ice up to him and make sure he doesn't need anything else," Alan said.

As he made his way into the kitchen, Alan tried to convince himself it would be safe to leave his nephew alone with his wife. Alan was quite sure that he didn't trust her. _Why should he?_ She had seduced one of his best friends away from his wife, who also happened to be a close friend. A close friend of his and, in theory, also a close friend of Carly's.

Bobbie Spencer-Jones had been the one who had convinced Audrey Hardy to let Carly into the combined PCU/PCGH nursing program even though her high school transcript had been more than a little lacking. Then it had been Bobbie who had encouraged Audrey to give Carly a second chance, or perhaps it had truly been a third chance, when she had ended up with a 1.3 gpa at the end of her first semester and was allowed to remain in the program. All the while Carly had been sleeping with her champion's husband, in their bed, while their son slept down the hall.

That had ended in one sense the April night when Bobbie had come home early from what had been supposed to be an overnight shift in the SICU and discovered the affair. Alan wasn't privy to exact details of all that must have ensued but from what he had pieced together from what Tony had told him, Bobbie had told him, Bobbie had told Monica, and what Lucas had told Alan's younger son, Kirk, he was sure it had been anything but pretty. The damage had been irreparable, or at least it had seemed it. Tony moved out. Bobbie had filed for divorce and sole custody, and Carly, left to sink or swim on her own merits, failed out of nursing school and lost her PT tech job at the hospital. Yet, in some senses, Carly had still landed on her feet because once she had announced she was pregnant and the divorce was finalized Tony had done the honorable thing and proposed marriage.

At least that had been the consensus of the hospital rumor mill. Alan had felt that the honorable thing would have been for Tony to have continued to honor the vows he had taken eight years earlier. There hadn't been any great way to say that without sounding self-righteous which Alan knew he couldn't afford to be. Sure, he had been faithful to his wife, but he was hardly perfect. That humility had served him well a few months later when Tony had learned that Alan's nephew was planning to marry Carly.

As he filled a Ziploc bag with ice from the dispenser in the refrigerator door, Alan moved past Carly's dishonesty and betrayal to truly reflect on the situation at hand: Ned's headaches weren't getting any better. As a physician, he should fear that his nephew had some horrible brain tumor, or perhaps some kind of an ateriovenous malformation in the blood vessels in his brain. He knew latter could sometimes be a ticking time bomb, his own mother had an aneurysm that had ruptured nine years earlier. She had made it through the surgery, a former colleague's wife hadn't been so fortunate a few years later.

Actually, at one time, he had feared most of those things. So, he had arranged for Ned to see a different neurologist for a second opinion. Somehow, he trusted Dr. Tristan Rosenblatt a bit more than Dr. Mark Dante. He had made sure that Dr. Rosenblatt had done a MRI and even that he had repeated it a year earlier when Ned's headaches had exponentially increased in both frequency and severity. Yet, even before the MRI came back normal Alan had suspected that Ned's frequent migraines had much more to do with grief than some hidden malignancy.

He hadn't been able to explain that to his sister, because technically it violated patient confidentiality. Call schedules were a funny thing because it was just the luck of the call schedule that had made the amazing Dr. Eduardo Muir the neurosurgeon on call the night his mother had collapsed in the front foyer. He had saved her life, Alan truly believed that. Yet it was also the luck of the call schedule that had caused Ned to inherit Dr. Mark Dante as a neurologist, and that had placed Alan himself on in house trauma call the July afternoon that his nephew's wife and unborn child got caught in the crossfire of Sonny Corinthos's world. Neither had been ideal but life often wasn't and Alan had done what he had needed to do. Or perhaps he had done half of what he had needed to do because there hadn't been anything anyone had been able to do for their daughter who had been stillborn at about twenty weeks gestation. As a physician, he knew that twenty weeks was a little too early to possibly be viable. Yet, as a father, he knew the pain of losing a child and he had never wanted that for Ned and Lois.

On some level he had also grasped that there was probably another issue with the fact that they hadn't announced the pregnancy sooner. Perhaps that had been out of respect for Sonny's feelings. His wife and unborn child had died from a car bomb a few months earlier but even that hadn't fit when Dr. Newman had just mentioned in passing that he had confirmed the pregnancy in April. He hadn't pressed that issue though, so he had just tried to support Ned and Lois. Unfortunately, from Lois's perspective, sharing that they had lost a child with the rest of the family would not be supportive. So, he hadn't shared their secret. In retrospect, he was quite sure that hadn't been the right thing for Ned. Perhaps it hadn't been the right thing for Lois either.

 _September 6, 1996_

 _Dr. Alan Quartermaine liked to schedule his cases early in the morning. He was a morning person and with any luck he could get in and out before the OR schedule got behind. Typically, he would have made his inpatient rounds and done two or three cases before he showed up at his office and the particular Friday in question was no exception. So, a few minutes before nine he was sitting in his private office reviewing some CT films on the wall mounted view box when his secretary, Maude, came in._

 _"_ _Oh, Dr. Quartermaine, you are here. I'm sorry, I just told your nephew you would have to call him back when you came over from the hospital OR. Also, your nine o'clock patient has cancelled they had an unexpected emergency. They just called twenty minutes ago, and it was too short notice for me to pull someone from the cancellation list."_

 _Alan nodded as he reached for the slip of paper Maude extended in front of him. He recognized Ned's cell number which was a little surprising, usually Ned was at the office by eight or at least eight-thirty. Of course, it was possible that Ned just didn't want the call going through the ELQ switchboard. Actually, that was quite likely._

 _Alan knew his nephew was independent and private in a way that didn't always mesh well with being an ELQ Enterprises Executive, or even a member of the Quartermaine family. While Alan's older sister considered this part of her personal failing as Ned's mother Alan felt it was more a case where Ned was growing up and making his own way in the world. Or he had in the past, recently he was a little more concerned about his nephew._

 _"_ _Alan?" Ned answered immediately._

 _Alan presumed Ned had recognized his office number on caller ID, however, he also heard the desperation in his voice. "Yes, how can I help you?"_

 _"_ _I'm not sure."_

 _Alan allowed the silence for a moment waiting for Ned to finish the thought. Eventually he accepted that perhaps he couldn't. "Ned, is there anything I can do?" he asked._

 _"_ _I'm sorry you must have patients. I'll try Lois again, or something, I guess."_

 _"_ _I had two cancellations, I only have one consultation scheduled for eleven, so I have a few hours and I want to help you. Ned, I know this is hard, and life will never be exactly the same but, in time, I think you and Lois will get to a place where you can find some joy around some of the pain. I do believe that. Monica and I did in time, it just was really hard for a while, but it did get better. Where are you? Why don't we go get some coffee or something?" Alan suggested._

 _Ned sighed heavily. "I'm at the hotel. I'm not really up to driving anywhere," he said._

 _"_ _I can come there. We can have some breakfast maybe?"_

Ned hadn't actually agreed, although he hadn't objected, so Alan had taken advantage of the silence and announced that he would see him in ten minutes. Over the years he had figured out that when Ned started to stoically shut down someone needed to maintain the connection. He had also learned that sometimes it was easier for Ned to accept that from him than his mother. The last part was nothing Alan ever planned to admit aloud to his sister. She already had enough parenting hangups where Ned was concerned. So, he just looked out for his nephew and tried to persevere through life.

They hadn't attempted breakfast because Ned was convinced he wouldn't be able to keep anything down. Eventually they had ended up in the Emergency Department at PCGH. Alan had to admit that when Ned had admitted he had no recollection of anything between looking over some Deception contracts with Katherine and waking up next to her unclothed he had been both concerned and wary. Katherine had earned every ounce of his wariness. Alan remembered all the stunts and schemes she had pulled while she was engaged to his brother in law, Scott Baldwin. A marriage had never followed from the engagement because, ironically, Katherine's schemes had been exposed by another pair of schemers, Lucy Coe and Damian Smith.

So, when he had taken Ned to the ER for some IV fluids, he had requested that Dr. Faulk also run some toxicology tests. When those had been negative, he had presumed Ned's amnesia really was psychogenic which had concerned him more. That was when his desperation to tell the family the truth had increased. Ned had begged him not to. He had felt he had to work things out with Lois on their own terms or she would never forgive him.

Ned's attempt at honesty with his wife had blown up in his face. After Lois had taken their surviving child and fled back to Bensonhurst, Ned had admitted to his mother he had slept with Katherine Bell. He still hadn't mentioned his daughter. That truth had taken a few more months to come out.

 _January 5, 1997_

 _"_ _What has gotten into you?" Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler fumed at her eldest son._

 _"_ _Nothing you would ever understand," Ned said as he got up from the table and stalked out of the dining room._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Alan, Monica, there is something wrong with him and of course I'm going to be the last to know," Tracy said._

 _Dr. Alan Quartermaine picked up the chair his nephew had upended in his haste or perhaps anger. "It's alright, do you want me to try to find him?"_

 _"_ _Well I guess the other option is me trying to find him and I think we both know how well that will go," Tracy said._

 _Alan saw the pain in his older sister's eyes. He did understand it. It looked very familiar to what he had felt when Jason had stormed out of their house for the last time the previous March._

 _Alan found his nephew on the west terrace. He was leaning against the railing staring out into the snow-covered side lawn, but Alan doubted he was really seeing any of that. He laid a hand on his shoulder. "Ned," he began gently._

 _"_ _This would have been Lois' due date," Ned said._

 _Alan hadn't known that with certainty before, but it fit. "I'm sorry," he said._

 _"_ _Me too. Maybe that's why Lois won't let me see Brooke because I did such an awful job of protecting her little sister."_

 _"_ _Ned, that's not true. There wasn't anything you could have done," Alan said._

 _"_ _Do you really believe that? Or is it just one of those things you have to say?"_

 _"_ _I really believe that. Unfortunately, we live in a world with random acts of violence as well as kindness. There aren't words for me to reconcile this with, it was a horrible, awful tragedy and no child will ever replace another but sometimes your grandmother is right. Sometimes you have to remember what you still have, not just what you lost. Brooke Lynn is a beautiful little girl who needs her daddy in her life," Alan said._

 _"_ _Try telling Lois that, because that's really not her take on the situation," Ned said. Then, in stark contrast to the bitterness of his words, he dropped down to his knees on the terrace and started to sob._

 _Alan did the only thing he could think of in the moment. He wrapped his arms tightly around his nephew and allowed him to cry._

Eventually, as the wind picked up and new snow started to fall, he had led Ned back through the French doors into the parlor. There he had found his sister sitting calmly on one of the sofas. When she had stood and wrapped her arms around her son Alan had caught his breath, but Ned allowed the embrace. Perhaps more importantly he had started to explain why he was upset.

Alan had hoped that having the truth out in the open would be the beginning of a healing process for his nephew. Unfortunately, he could see it really hadn't been. If anything, he thought sharing the truth with his mother had just made Ned feel obligated to insert even more distance into their relationship. He was quite sure that had been exactly what Ned was doing when he buried himself in work at ELQ. His father, Ned's grandfather, hadn't seen it that way of course. From Edward Quartermaine's perspective, Ned was finally living up to his full Quartermaine potential. Yet, as he made his way out of the kitchen, Alan wondered for the first time if perhaps his father had been operating from a place of denial as much as pride when he had offered that explanation six months earlier. As he climbed back up the stairs, Alan began to realize that had probably been the case and he had just missed it.


	16. Chapter 14: Dark is the Night

Jason Morgan stood at his penthouse window and looked out at the dark Port Charles Skyline. It was a clear night and dark, with no moon to speak of, just like the night he had held Robin in his arms after the explosion outside Luke's. The whole scene was too reminiscent of the night Sonny's first wife had died. He thought that was what had made him run for her moments before the limo exploded. His instincts had saved her life, yet it was his life that had put it all in danger in the first place. He had cradled her head in his arms while Ned called 911 and Brenda screamed in Jax's arms. He had pleaded, and prayed, for her to open her eyes. But, even when she had, he had known that things were over.

Robin's injuries had been relatively minor - a mild concussion, and a few abrasions on her forehead. It wasn't what had happened as much as what could have happened. Finally, he understood how Sonny could walk away from Brenda, and why he needed to walk away from Robin. He had taken her back to Connecticut on Sunday afternoon. After a final bittersweet kiss, she went off to study anatomy or whatever first year medical students did. He had come home to find Carly Roberts waiting outside his door.

Her last name should have surprised him. She had told him about how she and Tony were getting married on some beach in Miami. Except they hadn't, because Tony had decided he didn't love Carly, and maybe he never had. Apparently, he did love his child, or at least that had been how Carly had explained why he was determined to take her baby away.

Jason hadn't really understood that. Of course, he didn't understand much when it came to family relationships. Or at least not the family relationships the Quartermaines thought he should understand. He didn't remember his parents they had died in the same accident that had wiped out his memories and most of the time he wished most of the Quartermaines would just go away. Lila was ok. She was his great aunt, but his cousin AJ had informed him repeatedly that he had always called her grandmother because his father had come to live with the Quartermaines after his own father, Harold Morgan's, death. AJ's younger sisters Allison and Emily were ok too they were fourteen and thirteen and his aunt and uncle had a few more even younger children but he couldn't keep their names straight. He had been thinking maybe the youngest one was Kathy but that didn't sound right when Carly's shrieks had brought him back to the reality that she was still standing in his penthouse with a problem she expected him to solve.

 _September 21, 1997_

 _"_ _You have to help me, Jase! Tony is going to take my baby, our baby," Carly said as she paced around the long table in the penthouse._

 _"_ _Does Dr. Jones know he isn't really the baby's father?" Jason asked. Another question ran through his mind. Did Carly expect him to acknowledge that he was the baby's father? He had just walked away from Robin to keep her safe, how could he bring an innocent and defenseless child into his world?_

 _Carly shook her head._

 _Jason recognized the familiar look in her brown eyes. She was working out another one of her wacky plans and, honestly, he was a little afraid to ask. He knew he would though, because there was something about her that always drew him back in. "Carly," he finally said._

 _Carly stopped circling the table, looked up, and met his eyes. "I may have just found a way out. Don't look at me like that, Jase! You made your point a few months ago, your world isn't safe for a child and the best thing you could do for your child was get out of the way. But Tony scares me, you know our relationship has been volatile at best. I seduced him to get revenge on my mother, how messed up is that? I can't make up with Tony and try to raise this baby with him and who is a judge going to give a baby to, a neurosurgeon or me an unemployed physical therapy tech who just failed out of nursing school?"_

 _"_ _If you need money, or an attorney, or something like that," Jason offered._

 _Carly cut him off. "I need Tony out of the picture."_

 _Jason blinked a few times and realized what she was asking._

 _Carly laughed. "I don't mean I want you to kill him. Lucas would miss him, and I guess I've already screwed over his life enough by breaking up his parents' marriage. I just need to show that someone other than Tony is the father. I guess it doesn't have to be you."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _Well, what about your cousin?"_

 _"_ _Are you trying to tell me that you had sex with AJ?"_

 _Carly rolled her eyes. "No, I did not have sex with AJ! I wasn't even thinking of him. If I have to be in a loveless marriage for the sake of my child there needs to be at least a little excitement. That will never happen with AJ. I'm not Keesha who gets excited by watching paint dry."_

 _Jason cracked half of a smile. Keesha Ward had once been the woman he had at least told AJ he intended to marry. Yet he still couldn't quite understand what the attraction had been. "So, what are you planning here?" he finally asked._

 _"_ _Try to keep up, Jase. It's simple, I need to marry Ned," Carly said._

 _Jason could only shake his head._

Yet, as before, Carly had drawn him in enough that he had made the trip to ELQ. Ned had laughed, then refused, and then a few days later he had agreed. Exactly why Ned had changed his mind Jason didn't understand. He hadn't asked though.

XXXXXXXX

Amy Elizabeth Morgan pulled into the attached garage of her townhouse in Candlewick Park. The gated condominium and town home community, on the Southern outskirts of Port Charles, was an ELQ Enterprises Real Estate venture. When she had first moved to Port Charles, her cousin, Ned, had offered her the townhouse he had purchased after his first divorce. She had taken him up on the offer because it was the easiest way to get out of moving into the guest house on the grounds of the Quartermaine Mansion.

"You must be exhausted. Isn't it already morning in Milan?" Amy asked as she parked and then pulled her keys from the ignition.

"Milan is six hours ahead, so, it would be almost five AM there but after a week in Toronto I've basically adapted to Eastern Daylight time. Next week back in Italy will be painful but first I have a weekend with my favorite little sister," Chloe said.

"I'm your only little sister. Anyway, Craig reserved a court for 7:30, so I really need to get some sleep myself," Amy said as she led her sister back into her home. She saw the disappointment on her sister's face. In the past their long sister weekends had consisted of late nights with good chocolate while they sketched and talked about anything and everything. It was the latter that inspired her avoidance tactics. For twenty-two years she had shared everything with her older sister but her experiences in LA had shifted that balance and she didn't have the strength or courage to go there.

"I thought you hated tennis?" Chloe asked.

"Hate is a strong word," Amy said. _It was. She tended to reserve it for rapists._

"Strongly disliked?" Chloe suggested.

"Ned has helped me with my backhand which has really decreased my frustration for the game I suppose," Amy revealed the partial truth. Ned had given her a few cousin to cousin lessons. He had also shared that hitting a few buckets worth of balls was a great way to relieve frustration.

Chloe smiled. "Or maybe you really like Dr. Everett?" she suggested.

"He isn't Dr. Everett yet. He still has another year of dental school and then he is planning on an oral surgery residency," Amy said. She knew that she was sidestepping her sister's question. She had no idea if she liked Craig. He was attractive, endearing, and could be quite sweet. He was also busy with his education and thus was quite comfortable with their relationship moving at a glacial pace. Sadly, the latter aspect was the most important to her in the moment.

XXXXXXXX

Sarah Webber cursed under her breath as her heel caught on something and she lurched forward unsteadily eventually landing sprawled across the lawn. Spike heels in a pitch-black night were hardly hiking conditions but Ali had insisted that Jamal drop them off a few houses up Lilac Drive from the Barrington Mansion so Ali's grandmother wouldn't hear the car in case she was already home from the Quartermaine party.

"Shhh!" Ali whispered. "We don't want to wake my grandmother!"

Amanda Barrington's rest was hardly Sarah's concern. However, since she was friends with Sarah's grandmother, Sarah had her own reasons for not waking the woman. For that reason, she scraped herself up off the Barrington lawn and followed her friend into the house. They made their way up to Ali's room without detection, changed from their heels and miniskirts into pajamas, and removed several layers of makeup.

"I'm starving!" Sarah said.

Ali giggled. "That is the downside of Ecstasy. Come on Cook is off for the weekend, so we can actually raid our own kitchen," she said as she led the way out of her bedroom.

"You have your own personal chef?" Sarah asked as they started back down the front stairs.

"Malcolm would challenge that idea. He's always complaining that her culinary skills are lacking. We have Cook, that is both her last name and her title, I guess. She used to work for Edward Quartermaine but when they moved in with Alan and Monica they had to get rid of the servants. Apparently, Monica feels they interfere with family harmony or something."

Sarah laughed. "Because the family that scrubs the bathroom together stays together?" she asked.

"Who knows? I'm pretty sure neither of the Doctors Quartermaine are scrubbing toilets. I think they have a contract with a cleaning service, I guess that is more practical and less ostentatious. Or at least that is Aunt Lorena's perspective. Supposedly she did scrub a few toilets in her day."

Sarah instinctively wrinkled her nose. "Eww! So nasty!"

"I know, but Aunt Lorena is all about the simple life. She arranges mission trips to third world countries. You know, the kind that don't even have toilets to scrub," Ali said as she opened the refrigerator and peered inside.

Ali closed the refrigerator with a frown. "There is like nothing worth eating. We should just order pizza. I think Pizza Shack is open until midnight," she said.

"Pizza Shack? That hardly sounds sanitary!"

"It's a pizza place down by the Elm Street Pier. Jamal introduced me to it. I'll just call his cellular and ask him to bring us a few slices."

"Oh, and I'm sure your parents will be thrilled when Jamal shows up here after midnight! That will definitely wake your grandmother!"

"Elizabeth is probably meeting her lover at the Port Charles Hotel and Malcolm probably took the last train into the city for some bogus Saturday meeting which is really just a good cover for meeting his own lover at the Waldorf Astoria."

Ali's awareness, and honesty, shocked Sarah. She had no illusions that her parents still loved each other, if they ever had in the first place, but it wasn't anything they had ever discussed with her and it certainly wouldn't be something they would want her sharing with her friends. "Your mother is having an affair?" she asked.

"Don't shriek! That will wake my grandmother and then we'll get a whole lecture on how it is unladylike. Let's just say that Elizabeth has never been deterred by the boundaries, or constraints, of marriage whether that is her own or anyone else's."

"She discusses this with you?" Sarah asked.

"Hardly! When I was eight Elizabeth was in a car accident. She has some rare foreign sounding blood type, so they couldn't transfuse her with regular blood. Eventually some poor student nurse who had grown up in a convent came forward. She had that blasted Bombay phenotype and her blood donation saved Elizabeth's life. I guess some of the other tests made it look like they were closely related. It turned out Dawn was the child Elizabeth had with fashion designer Eric Forrester in 1970 and then abandoned on a convent doorstep on her way out of town with his wealthy wife's hush money."

"I thought your sister's name was Ashley?"

"Ashley is her daughter with Malcolm. We're full sisters which is probably why she has always hated me so completely."

Sarah wondered for a moment if that was why she and Liz had never gotten along. Then she wondered for another moment if she and Liz were truly full sisters. For years she had just accepted that Liz was the family scapegoat and that the easiest way to get out of trouble was to implicate her sister, even if it was nearly obvious that Liz couldn't have possibly been the guilty party. Their mother had always gone along with Sarah's version and added in an extra side of spiteful nastiness when determining the suitable punishment.

Their father had worked long hours as an internist. He was rarely home but, when he was, he refused to rehash or undermine his wife's parenting. Or at least that was what he said, at least when she or Liz were listening. At night, after they were supposed to be in bed, he said more and accused his wife of being unfair to their younger daughter. But by then he was unsteady, and his words were slurred and Sarah had always ignored his words as nothing more than a drunken rant.

"So, are you closer to your other sister?" Sarah asked. She thought she was closer to her half-brother, Steven. He was the child her father had with his insane first wife, Heather Webber. He was a medical student in Colorado.

"I was. Dawn died when I was ten. Her fiancé selected the wrong investors for his club and she got caught in the crossfire I suppose you could say."

"I'm sorry," Sarah said. She tossed the words out readily even though she wasn't sure she really felt them.

"She and Decker were really in love. He left town right after the funeral."

Sarah wondered if Ali had a thing for unusual names. _JR…Decker…Jamal…_ "What kind of a name is Decker?" she asked.

"Actually, I think it's kind of cool. It suited him. I'm going to call Jamal about that pizza before it gets any later," Ali said.

Sarah supposed Ali's reply almost proved her point. She didn't verbalize that though. Instead she just silently followed her friend back upstairs to order pizza.

XXXXXXXX

The Port Charles Police Department was less than a block away from Port Charles General Hospital. That could be handy, in the event of a hostage crisis at the hospital, or a shootout at the PCPD, and Detective Alex Garcia knew that both had happened in the past. Then there were the times when he just really needed a little more "car time" to prepare for what he had to do. That was the sentiment that enveloped him as he pulled into one of the law enforcement spots behind the Emergency Department.

Alex shifted down into park, exhaled deeply, and then turned to his partner. "You are planning on running point on this, right?" he asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Allison asked as she started to get out of the car.

"Well, now that you mention it, umm, no!" Alex said as they made their way into the Emergency Department through the ambulance bay.

Allison flashed a quick not amused roll of her eyes and then shook her head. "Did dispatch give us a name of the physician who filed the report?" she asked.

Alex flipped open his notebook and studied it for a moment. "Dr. Matt Harmon," he read.

"Someone rang?" a voice seemed to emanate up from the floor.

Alex looked down and saw a man in wheelchair dressed in scrubs and a white coat wheeling towards him. "I'm guessing you're Dr. Harmon. I'm Detective Alejandro Garcia and this is Detective Allison Jordan," he said as he extended his hand down to shake.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Harmon. I presume you're here regarding Tiffany Perkins, we can go into the conference room," Dr. Hunter said.

"What can you tell us?" Allison asked once they were inside the conference room.

"The nurses say someone must have dropped her off in the ambulance bay. One of the paramedics saw her wandering around out there when he went back out to move his truck. She's not fully oriented but her blood alcohol is .12 and urine toxicology was also positive for ecstasy and cocaine so that might explain it. Head CT was negative. Once she woke up a little, she started screaming she had been raped so we did a rape kit. We found traces of semen on the labia and in the vaginal vault so she definitely had sexual intercourse tonight. We've sent samples for DNA so maybe you'll get a hit off the DNA or maybe when she wakes up more, she can give you some history. She's in room 22 on the back hall, let me know if you need anything else."

"Have you notified her parents yet?" Alex asked.

"Someone tried the phone number on her driver's license, but no one answered."

Allison took a deep breath and exhaled. "Ok, thank you, Dr. Harmon, I'll go see if she can give me anything more," she said as she got up from the table.

Alex followed her back out into the Emergency Department. "I'll go get the rape kit logged into evidence and see if the lab can get started on that," he offered.

"Thanks! I have a feeling this statement may take a while, considering her blood alcohol level."

"Then breakfast will be on me when we're done," Alex said. He knew he owed her a lot more than breakfast, but he supposed it was a start.


	17. Chapter 15: Goodnight, Sweetheart

Carly Ashton tried, and mostly failed, to summon some compassion for her husband. It wasn't that she wanted Ned to suffer, but she barely knew him and, from what she did know, she doubted he wanted her feigned sympathy. She could respect that. So, she had decided to just find a guest room in the house and settle in there for the night. She had been about to explore the rest of the upstairs when she remembered that the movers had moved all her possessions into the master bedroom while she and Ned had been on their honeymoon. That had led her to creep back towards the master bedroom suite and cautiously open the door.

The room was dark except for a faint glow from the bathroom of the master suite and the light coming from behind her in the hall. Carly took a cautious step across the threshold and debated whether she could turn on the light.

"You may turn the light on," Ned said as he pulled the pillow over his head.

"How is your head?" Carly asked.

"A little better. I'll be ok, I just need to lie still and sleep," Ned said.

"I won't disturb you then. I just need to get some things and then I'll find one of the guestrooms," Carly offered.

"You don't need to. This is a California King, we should be able to share it. We should probably get used to that since it is the closest room to the nursery."

Carly stood silently for a moment and reflected on Ned's words. He made it sound like they were an actual family. She remembered how she had longed to believe that she and Tony could become that. That had all been a pipe dream and she was wary to believe it could be anything more than that with Ned. She took a deep breath and exhaled with more trepidation.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. The guest room across the hall has fresh sheets if you prefer," Ned said.

Carly took another deep breath and exhaled. "No, it's ok, I'll just get ready and join you shortly."

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine heard the soft whoosh of the door to their master bedroom suite opening. "Alan, please turn on the light rather than attempting any stumbling in the dark heroics. It's been a long enough night we don't need to spend the early morning hours in the emergency room getting you x-rayed. Plus, I doubt the current intern class will find that any less amusing than we did when Dr. Hardy did the same thing my intern year and broke his hip," she said.

Monica heard her husband chuckle and then light illuminated the room. She sat up in bed and turned to face him. "Is Ned alright?" she asked.

Alan sat down in one of the wing chairs on the opposite side of the room and started to remove his shoes. "Honestly, I think he's still grieving the loss of his daughter and his wife. Perhaps that just makes him even more conflicted in this marriage to Carly which raises the question of exactly why he married her. I'm smart enough to not go there with my sister. She will somehow twist that into some new variation on self-depreciation. I just told her Ned was safely home and sleeping away his latest migraine attack," he said.

"That was probably a good plan. I doubt the spontaneity of this latest marriage is doing much to assure Tracy of the substance of her relationship with her oldest son. I suppose I can understand now in ways I just couldn't before when AJ was younger. Back when, at least AJ believed, we had all the answers."

"Am I missing something? Do you think our son is planning to propose soon?" Alan asked.

"No, I wasn't saying that. I meant I understood in more of a global sense. AJ is growing up and becoming his own person with his own hopes, dreams, fears, and priorities. I have to take a few steps back and trust that we've given him the tools and helped him find the strength to address all of those head on in his own way."

Alan got up from the chair shoes in hand and started towards their walk-in closet that often functioned as a dressing room when one of them had a particularly late night or early morning. "AJ turned twenty last May. Ned was only thirteen when Tracy sent him off to Ethan Alan Academy," he offered before he crossed the closet threshold

Monica remembered. Or, at least she remembered her sister in law's anguish over the decision. She and Alan had been living outside Philadelphia while she had done her Cardiology fellowship at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania when the decision had been made. "That wasn't a decision she made lightly, Alan. You know she didn't think that there was another safe option for Ned and I don't think we get to second guess that, especially not fifteen years after the fact."

"I'm not faulting Tracy's decision. I'm just pointing out that the situations are, and were, very different. Tracy loves him, but their relationship has always been challenging and Ned has always been stoic and silent. He shuts down which just seems to magnify the distance in their relationship," Alan's voice floated out from the closet.

"That distance may have much more to do with the absence of Ned's father in his life than anything your sister did or didn't do. I'd love to take all the credit for AJ making it through high school relatively intact. Like all working moms, I have my own striving to be supermom hang-ups; but I know that parenting is a partnership and it's so much easier when there really is a partnership. I thank you for being my partner in all senses of that word. In contrast, your sister, Tracy, never had that luxury when Ned was growing up. So, perhaps, for that reason alone, she would be very supportive of Ned and Carly raising their child in that context."

Alan emerged from the closet pajama clad. "I know it isn't our place to weigh in on Ned's decisions and perhaps it is pretty hypocritical to question why he would want to raise his child in wedlock since we've certainly never tried anything else with our children. I suppose I just don't trust Carly any more than I trusted Jennifer Eckert or Katherine Bell. Neither of those women did my nephew any favors so I have a hard time believing this relationship will be different," he said.

"I presume, from Ned's standpoint, it isn't about him. Perhaps we can understand that because I'm pretty sure a lot of your patience with me over the past few years was as much for our children as anything else."

Alan sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for her hand. "I've always loved you, Monica, even during the period where you were determined to shut me out of anything important, I loved you," he said.

"I wasn't determined to shut you out of everything. I just knew too much about the medical realities of everything. It wasn't easy to face my own potential mortality; especially with a newborn daughter depending on me. It was overwhelming and, as horrible as this is to say, your concern just made me more overwhelmed. I detached, and I realize that wasn't fair to you, but it was what I could do at the time. Perhaps this is what Carly and Ned can do at this time. I know you don't have general positive regard for Carly, but she is your nephew's wife so perhaps we just do what we can to give her a chance."

"Are you insinuating that you do have general positive regard for Carly? Come on, Monica, Bobbie is one of your best friends."

"I'm not saying Carly hasn't made decisions I want to think I would never make; but Tony and Bobbie made some poor decisions in all of that as well. At the end of the day they are all human. We should strive to be as well and I think that involves treating Carly with kindness and compassion."

Alan sighed. "I can try. She did seem concerned earlier, but she also seemed clueless. Lois might have been terrified at times by his migraines but at least she understood what they were."

"Carly isn't Lois and if she is expected to live in that shadow, she may just run screaming. Ask my mother how much she enjoyed being compared to the late Meg Bentley Baldwin," Monica said.

"I'm not really comparing Carly to Lois. Ok, maybe I am. I'm just worried about Ned. I'm not sure he can handle a third divorce."

"You say that like it's a foregone conclusion. Good grief your nephew hasn't even been married for quite a week and you're already worried about the divorce. I can't believe I'm voluntarily quoting your father but perhaps you could try channeling a little of that long line of love speech he delivers and try to have a little faith. Why don't you also try to get a little sleep? You're going to need to make efficient rounds so you can sign out before noon if we want to make it to Emily's cross-country meet."

"You know I love you," Alan said. He pulled her into his arms.

As they embraced Monica remembered how much she had missed her husband and how glad she was that they had been able to reconnect. "I know. I love you too," she whispered.

XXXXXXXX

As he lay in bed with his wife, Dr. Ryan Grabler could feel the tension in her neck and shoulders. Gently he began to massage her shoulders. "You're a good mother and all three of your children love you so, please, stop beating yourself up about this."

Tracy exhaled deeply. "I'm not beating myself up! I have no more idea how to reach him now than I did when he was thirteen and I sent him away to boarding school because it was the only way I thought he might survive adolescence. I think he is even closer to drowning now and I just have no idea how to help him."

Ryan moved his hands upward and started to work out the knots in her neck. He knew his wife's words were not purely rhetorical, but he also wasn't sure how to respond. His stepson would turn thirty in February. Many people would suggest that at twenty-nine Ned Ashton should be more than capable of ordering his own life. In general, he would agree. The ironic thing was that, in general, he suspected even his wife would agree. The problem was that beyond the general everything got more than a bit murky. "What concerns you specifically?" he finally asked.

"I'm afraid he is having blackouts again. I have been for a while and Alan sort of suggested that when he called tonight as well."

"In conjunction with his migraines?" Ryan asked.

"That was what Alan was suggesting but I'm afraid there is more to it than that. He doesn't look well."

Ryan supposed Ned had looked tired, but he had also just returned from a week in Utah working on patent applications with his cousin Celia Quartermaine. Travel could be exhausting. Travel for work could be particularly exhausting. "Perhaps he is just tired," he suggested.

"Or perhaps he is still grieving for the child he and Lois buried last year."

Ryan could believe that too even if he couldn't relate directly. He prayed he never would be able to relate directly. He and Tracy had been blessed with a son, Dylan Albert, and a daughter, Shannon Lila. Fatherhood remained one of his biggest challenges; but also, one of his greatest blessings and he couldn't imagine life without his children.

"This will sound horrible but I'm afraid that Ned and Carly might have conceived their child during one of those blackouts. No matter what Lois may think, I raised Ned better than to grow up and turn into his father."

Ned's father was Lord Lawrence Ashton, a low-level British monarch far removed from likely ascension to any throne. He had married Tracy Quartermaine when she had been only eighteen. Their son's birth and their divorce had both happened before her twentieth birthday. After the divorce, Tracy had returned to her parents' home in Port Charles, NY and Lord Ashton had married his adultery accomplice, Celeste Mouton.

"Some may believe once an adulterer always an adulterer. I suppose my first husband's actions certainly showed that. But the sins of the father don't always become the sins of the son," Tracy said.

Ryan remained silent. He was a psychiatrist and he knew that sometimes his best approach was to just shut up and listen. Sometimes that advice was also well applied to his marriage. This was especially true when he didn't have a helpful response and, in the moment, he certainly didn't. He knew that his wife's first husband was a serial adulterer with a particular passion for one-night stands and illegitimate children. He knew that his wife wanted, and expected, something very different for her son. He remembered how hurt she had been when Ned had admitted to an extra-marital tryst with Katherine Bell. That relationship had ended his marriage to his second wife, Lois Cerullo.

"I know you thought that I was trying to rationalize Ned's behavior last summer. I wasn't. I was trying to understand it. I have no illusions that Lawrence Ashton ever loved me, but Ned did love Lois, in fact, I believe he still does. He also loved their babies and he would have never consciously done anything to threaten their home."

Ryan didn't disagree about her assertions. He just wasn't sure that Ned's dalliance with Katherine hadn't been the result of a moment where he wasn't thinking. Perhaps that had deeper psychiatric meaning or perhaps the sole explanation was that his stepson was human and therefore made mistakes. "Tracy, I love you, and I love that you care about all three of your children and you want them to have happy, healthy, and productive lives. I just think perhaps you need to accept that the answers aren't always out there and maybe all you can do right now is trust that Ned knows you love him and you support him."

"The problem is that I don't trust that. Ned isn't Dylan. He grew up without a father and truly my mother raised him while I finished my bachelor's and then law school. Sometimes I feel that his Quartermaine connection comes more from being Edward's grandson than my son."

Ryan recalled the party that celebrated his stepson's 1993 Magna Cum Laude graduation from Harvard Law School. Ned had been newly married to Jennifer Eckert and had just taken a job as ELQ Enterprises Pro-Counsel. He had seemed to have the brightest of bright futures ahead of him, but Ryan recalled his wife's unease.

 _June 11, 1993_

 _Dr. Ryan Grabler stood amongst the crowd in the Versailles Ballroom of the Port Charles Hotel. The evening's festivities were in honor of his stepson's recent graduation from Harvard Law and his installation as ELQ Enterprises' newest professional counsel. Around him rumors swirled that CEO and majority shareholder, Edward Louis Quartermaine had cleaned house to ensure a place for his grandson. Ryan knew that wasn't the case. He wasn't absolutely certain that his father in law was truly above such a thing in all circumstances, but he did know that Paul Hornsby had been fired because Edward had learned he had bribed a zoning official in an effort to advance their expansion project at the ELQ Quarry in Kemp Falls, a rural community nearly an hour outside of Port Charles._

 _"_ _They have cheesecake!" his six-year-old son, Dylan, informed him when he joined him with a plate and his five-year-old cousin, Kirk Quartermaine, who held his own plate trailing half a step behind. Kirk was his wife's older younger brother, Dr. Alan Quartermaine's younger son. Although Kirk and Dylan were ten months apart, they had been almost inseparable once they progressed past the parallel play stage of development. In contrast, Ned and Alan's oldest son, AJ were a little more than nine years apart and had seemingly always been at very disparate developmental stages. That was unlikely to change for another ten years or so._

 _"_ _I think that is one of the things you and your brother have in common. Your mom says it has always been one of Ned's favorite desserts," Ryan said. Dylan had been born right after Ned started his freshman year of college at Duke University. The boys had never had a real shared childhood or even lived in the same house for a significant period of time, yet, Ryan knew that Ned loved his little brother. He just struggled to relate to him at times. Ryan often wondered how much of that was due to the boys' eighteen-year age gap and how much that was due to the fact that, from his wife's stories, he wasn't sure his stepson had ever really thought like a child. He knew better than to raise that issue with his wife because she blamed herself for her son's sensible stoicism. He understood she had regrets about many situations, but he wondered how much of his stepson's personality was just innate and had nothing to do with being raised by a single mother who spent most of his younger years in college or law school._

 _"_ _When do I get to give Ned his present?" Dylan asked._

 _"_ _How about tomorrow when he and Jenny join us for lunch?" Ryan suggested. His wife had bought her son a nice briefcase and intended it to be from his younger siblings. Dylan had been unimpressed with the gift, sure that Ned would think it was boring, and had selected one of those NY Yankee Bobblehead Figures for Ned to display on his desk. He been convinced that his gift was perfect and couldn't wait to give it to his brother. Ryan had to admire his son's independent spirit and confidence._

 _Dylan seemed to contemplate the suggestion as he took another bite of his cheesecake. "Ok," he finally agreed. "Oh look, Kirk, Cooper is here! Remember at the wedding he had all those magnifying glasses. Maybe his mother let him bring those again. We're going to go see ok, dad?"_

 _"_ _Ok but remember no reckless running. Your grandfather will threaten to have another coronary if you knock over one of his wait staff," Ryan said._

 _Cooper referred to Cooper Barrett, the six-year-old son of Jenny's brother Bill's fiancée, Julia Barrett. He had been one of the ring bearers, along with Bill's twelve-year-old son, Sylvester, in Ned and Jenny's wedding the month before. After the wedding his wife had remarked that Cooper seemed to have the same earnest old soul expression she remembered in Ned's eyes at a similar age. Somehow, perhaps because Julia Barrett was also a single mother, she had taken that as more evidence that it had to do with her own shortcomings as a mother. Six weeks later Ryan still wasn't sure how to change her mind._

 _Ryan had been still contemplating all of that when his wife rejoined him. "So is Priscilla faring alright with our smart and stubborn little daughter?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him._

 _Tracy turned in his embrace and tilted her head slightly to meet his eyes. "Dinner and bath have been accomplished and she promised she would go to bed if she could just say goodnight to me," she said._

 _Ryan smiled at his wife's account. Their two-year-old daughter also had a sense of integrity rare in a child so young so, having said that, she probably would actually go to bed without protestations or tantrums. "It sounds like an all-around successful evening," he said._

 _"_ _Don't say that too hastily," Tracy cautioned, and Ryan followed her eyes across the room to where her son Ned stood with his grandparents. "In case you haven't noticed, Jenny still hasn't returned from her shopping excursion in the city yet. Fashionably late is rarely fashionable when your husband is the guest of honor."_

 _Ryan actually hadn't noticed of the absence of his daughter in law. Over the entire course of her relationship and then marriage to his stepson she had extended less than ten words in his direction, so he hadn't expected her to strike up a conversation with him or even greet him. His wife considered that rude, but his stepson assured them that his bride was just shy and felt intimidated by his wealthy and overly educated family. Ryan hated to admit that he tended to believe his wife was more likely accurate in his assessment. "Perhaps she got caught up in traffic. The trip should only take a little over three hours but on a Friday night in June there is probably a lot of traffic trying to get out of the city and onto the Taconic State Parkway," he suggested._

 _"_ _That is exactly why I suggested that she postpone her trip until next week. We could have even arranged for her to stay in one of the suites the family has at the PC Hotel-Manhattan," Tracy said._

 _Ryan suspected if Jenny was truly intimidated by the family's wealth staying at a five-star luxury hotel on Manhattan's Upper East side would hardly help her feel grounded. "If the ostentatious opulence of our wealth truly makes her uncomfortable then perhaps that was exactly why she did plan the trip hastily. Or perhaps she wanted an excuse out of this formal party. We'll probably never know unless Jenny becomes comfortable enough with us that she decides to share," Ryan said._

 _"_ _Jennifer isn't much older now than I was when I married Lawrence. I remember feeling so alone and so on the outside of his family. I don't want Jenny to feel that way. It just seems that she rebuffs any kindness and acceptance I try to extend."_

 _"_ _Perhaps that is her issue then. I truly believe that you did the best you could, with, and for, Ned. I believe he knows that and he loves you. If his wife has her own insecurities, or poor social graces, that isn't an indictment of your mother and son relationship."_

 _Tracy just squeezed his hand silently as her father made his way over to the dais erected at the front of the room._

 _Edward Quartermaine climbed onto the dais, made his way to the podium, and reached for the microphone attached. After a moment the crowd stilled silently, and he began to speak. "Good evening, I am Edward Louis Quartermaine, the current CEO of ELQ Enterprises. Our country's former president John F. Kennedy defined happiness as the full use of your powers along lines of excellence. It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to a man who I trust will seek, and find, true happiness as our next professional counsel here at ELQ. Allow me to introduce my eldest grandson, Harvard Law Magna Cum Laude, Edward Lawrence Ashton."_

 _Ned joined his grandfather on the dais as they shook hands and then hugged. Then he stepped forward and took his place at the podium. "Thank you for the warm words and confidence, Grandfather. They will not be misplaced I assure you. You always raised me to believe in value of integrity and honest hard work. Both will serve me well as we work together to guide ELQ Enterprises into the twenty first century and beyond."_

 _Ryan joined in the applause of the crowd and then wrapped an arm around his wife and pulled her close for a moment. He didn't believe that either her father or son had intended their words to hurt her, but he could see that they probably had. In time he hoped Tracy would truly be able to believe that the relationship her son had with his grandparents was special but not evidence of some deficiency in his relationship with her._

Ryan took his wife into his arms. "I think that Ned's relationship with your parents is a blessing, but you need to trust that it hasn't evolved out of something that was lacking in your own relationship with him. I can't make you trust that, honey, but I'm afraid if you can't let yourself trust that it may just take away from the relationship you and Ned do have," he said.

"It isn't that easy," Tracy protested.

"It may not be, but I do believe it is important and I think you have to try. I love you, and I'm behind you all the way but you are your own harshest critic," Ryan said before he pulled her closer to him as they settled under the sheets together.


	18. Chapter 16: Darkest Before Dawn

October 4, 1997

Carly Ashton lay wide awake as her husband slept, seemingly soundly, beside her. It was still more than a little weird to call a man she barely knew her husband. Even if the plan had been her idea, she had never really believed that Ned would ever go for it. At first, he hadn't, not when Jason asked him, or even when she scheduled her own ELQ Lunch meeting to plead her case. A little more than twelve hours after the lunch debacle he had shown up at the room Jason was paying for in the Port Charles Hotel and told her he had reconsidered. He had never explained what had changed his mind, and she had carefully not asked. He hadn't stayed long but he had returned the next day with the engagement ring of her dreams and whisked her away on the ELQ Jet.

 _September 25, 1997_

 _Caroline Benson gazed out at the clouds as the ELQ Jet soared amongst them. She had never flown on a private plane before and the ELQ Jet was larger, and much more tasteful, than the double wide she had grown up in. Her emotions oscillated between excitement and fear. "You still haven't told me where we are going," she said._

 _Ned Ashton glanced up from the laptop computer he had been silently engrossed in the first hour of the flight. "I thought you would want your mother at our wedding. Jason mentioned she wasn't well and I figured perhaps it would be easier for us to go to her."_

 _Jason was one of the few people that knew about the stroke her adoptive mother had in April. She had gotten the call about Virginia less than forty-eight hours after her biological mother had discovered she was having an affair with her stepfather. Except Bobbie hadn't realized that her own daughter was the one who had stolen her husband. Only Bobbie's big brother, Luke, Carly herself, and, just recently, Jason knew that truth. That left Carly to wonder exactly how much of that truth Jason had shared with his cousin Ned._

 _"_ _She is doing much better now. It has been almost six months since her stroke," Carly said._

 _"_ _I'm glad to hear that," Ned said._

 _Surprisingly Ned's words sounded genuine, or at least much more genuine than Carly felt in the moment. "Is that what happened to Lila? Is that why she is in a wheelchair?" she asked._

 _"_ _No, she broke her hip seven years ago. She had a bad reaction to anesthesia, something called malignant hyperthermia, a few years before that and decided that having the hip surgically repaired was just too risky," Ned explained._

 _"_ _Jason never really explained that."_

 _"_ _Jason was in high school when both things happened. He was living in Boston with his parents then."_

 _"_ _I thought you and Jason grew up together?"_

 _"_ _In many ways Jason's father might as well have been another son. Grandmother and Grandfather raised him after his parents died in that hotel fire in Bel-Air in 1961. He went off to college before I was born. Then he stayed in Boston where he and his wife started a law firm. They came back to Port Charles to visit at least one weekend a month. I was six when Jason was born. Uncle Alan became his godfather and then they visited even more frequently. Jason even lived with Alan and Monica his first two years at PCU."_

 _"_ _So, you were close?"_

 _"_ _Sure, we're cousins, although Jason and AJ were a lot closer. I'm sure Grandmother remembers the connection Jason and AJ had when she sees my little brother, Dylan, and Alan and Monica's youngest son, Kirk, in action."_

 _Carly wasn't sure how to reconcile Ned's stories of the person Jason had been before. She couldn't imagine the man she loved voluntarily spending time with a stiff like AJ Quartermaine."_

 _"_ _How much does your mother know about your time in Port Charles?" Ned asked._

 _Carly swallowed hard. Nothing would be the honest answer. When she had come back to Florida after her mother had her stroke, she hadn't volunteered a thing about where she had been. Her mother had known better than to ask._

 _"_ _I'm not trying to interrogate you. I just wanted to prepare myself for the visit."_

 _"_ _My mother doesn't know about the baby. Thanks to this retroverted uterus I won't actually start to show until I'm about to deliver in December."_

 _"_ _Does that mean you want to wait to announce the pregnancy to your mom until after we marry?"_

 _Carly decided not to volunteer that she was still working on wrapping her head around the idea of marrying Ned. It had been her wacky plan after all, Ned was just going along with it. "I think that might be best," she finally managed to say._

 _"_ _That is fine. She is your mother, so I'll entrust that decision to you," Ned said._

When she remembered the conversation, one word stood out-entrust. _Did Ned actually trust her? Why would he? Why should he? Did he mistakenly believe that Jason had trusted her? Was it possible that Jason actually had trusted her?_ As she wrestled with those questions and clung to the hope that perhaps Jason actually had trusted her, perhaps he even still did, Carly finally drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXXX

Sixteen-year-old JR Chandler awoke in his jeep with a splitting headache and the overwhelming urge to hurl. As he opened the door, he lost his balance and fell into a heap in some parking lot. He tried to regain his bearings but instead he found himself puking all over the parking lot.

JR wasn't sure exactly where he was, and the events of the past evening were more than a little fuzzy. He remembered going to some club Alison Barrington had selected. Her boyfriend had an in with the bartender, so the drinks had been flowing freely. She had introduced him to one of her friends, a bubble headed blonde who's name he couldn't recall. He also couldn't recall exactly what had happened, but he was almost certain they had sex. As he wiped the vomit off his face JR reflected on sleeping with a girl who's name he couldn't remember and accepted he had finally become his father. That disturbed him, a little.

As he struggled to stand, he felt a vibration in the pocket of his jeans. He reached in to retrieve his phone, lost his balance, fell against his jeep, uttered a few of his favorite curses, and finally managed to depress the talk button on his phone. "Hello," he mumbled.

"Good grief, JR, it's about time! Everyone has been trying to track you down since yesterday afternoon, where have you been?" his sister, Hayley Chandler-Santos asked.

JR was quite sure he didn't believe Hayley's words. His father might have fought for custody, but he had done that to punish his ex-wife not because he had interest in actually raising his son. "I doubt dad even cares where I am, especially now with Liza's new baby on the way. He might finally find his suitable heir."

"Liza's plane had some kind of problem landing. She was rushed to the hospital, but it doesn't look good. The doctors are saying she might lose the baby," Hayley said.

JR felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't exactly been happy to hear that his father's latest wife was expecting a child. He had heard Skye hadn't exactly been thrilled to hear of his conception either. Hayley was eight years older than he was, but she hadn't discovered that Adam Chandler was her father until the Thanksgiving he had been seven. He remembered how she had crashed their Thanksgiving Feast and called their father out.

Hayley's voice pulled JR away from his thoughts. "Have you been drinking, JR?" she asked.

For some reason JR couldn't lie to her. "I went out with some friends," he said.

"Where are you? I'll come get you and we'll go to the hospital together."

"I went to visit a friend from summer camp. I'm in Port Charles."

"In NY? Do you remember my high school boyfriend Brian Bodine? He is in Port Charles working on some development project with ELQ Enterprises. I could see if he could arrange to get you to the airport for the first flight out. I think dad really needs us here especially if the baby doesn't survive. You must remember how upset he was after Anna Claire's death."

"That was because Gloria went crazy and tried to kill him," JR said.

"She had postpartum psychosis, JR, it wasn't intentional. Give me the address of your friend and I'll give it to Brian. I'll call him in a little bit he still gets up and goes for those four am runs he used to do in high school."

"Actually, I just slept in my jeep. I'm not sure of the address of the club."

"JR!" Hayley said.

JR noted that she didn't say anything more. At least he hadn't been driving around drunk like Hayley's mother, Arlene Vaughn, had always done. "Would you have rather that I drove drunk?"

"You know that wasn't what I was suggesting. I'll give Brian your cell number and maybe you can identify a landmark or something. Call me and let me know when your plane comes in. I'm going back to the hospital in another few hours, but I'll have Mateo pick you up and bring you to the hospital."

"Yeah, ok, whatever," JR said.

"JR?"

"Yeah…"

"I love you, little brother," Hayley said.

JR smiled a little in spite of his situation. "I love you too, Sis, bye!" he offered before he ended the call. But as he finally climbed back into his jeep he wondered if Hayley was the only person who did love him. He had wanted to believe his mother loved him but so many choices she had made over the years called all of that into question.

XXXXXXXX

Chloe Morgan attempted to resettle herself in the guest room of her sister's townhouse. Earlier, Amy's screams had pulled her from sleep and adrenaline had fueled her sprint down the hall to her sister's master suite ready to defend her against the intruder. Except there hadn't been an intruder, or at least not an animate one. Eventually Amy had awoken, assured her it was only a nightmare and sent her back to her own bed. Yet, as she pulled the covers back up, Chloe felt anything but reassured. Before she had only suspected that something had happened during Amy's time in LA. Now she was certain.

Some people might argue that if Amy had wanted her to know she would have told her. To an extent, if it was anyone else, Chloe might have even agreed. But Amy was her sister and she couldn't just look the other way while she spontaneously imploded. That left her to figure out her sister's secret. She suspected Ned knew what had happened but she didn't see him betraying Amy's confidence. She doubted that Amy had shared with anyone else in Port Charles so that brought her right back to square one. Except perhaps it didn't.

Chloe could think of only one other person who Amy might have shared with…their great Aunt Lila. Lila Morgan Quartermaine was known for her diplomacy and tact, but she was also known for her compassion. If she could help her great aunt understand how concerned she was about her sister she suspected she would at least drop her a hint or two even if she couldn't share the whole truth. Suddenly tea in the rose garden with Lila had moved way up on Chloe's priority list.

As she readjusted her pillows Chloe realized how self-serving her last thought sounded. She didn't mean it to be. She had always adored her grandfather's older sister. His brother had died before she and Amy were born so all of their childhood it had just been the two of them and it was obvious that they were close. Their father taken over the Morgan Foundry right before Amy was born in 1973 so their grandfather had been free to devote his time to his art and to travel with his wife. She and Amy had joined their grandparents on many of those trips, especially the ones to visit the Quartermaines in upstate New York.

Chloe had many happy memories of those trips from the wonder of Great Aunt Lila's rose garden to the freedom of exploring her closet. In many ways that exploration had launched her interest in fashion and even decades later she had never found a pastel set, or fabric color wheel that could rival the colors of Aunt Lila's rose garden in full bloom. She smiled at the memories and reached over to turn out the light more reassured than she had felt in months.

 _**On canon GH I don't think that Chloe (nor her unnamed sister who I opted to name Amy Elizabeth) was as closely related to Lila as I have made her here but this all works better if there is more of a connection.**_


	19. Chapter 17: Morning Has Broken

Detective Alex Garcia opened the door to Kelly's Diner with a yawn. "Remember the coffee is on me," he said as he stepped back and allowed his partner to enter first.

Detective Allison Jordan turned back to face him. "I believe your earlier offer was for breakfast, and I think you're getting off easy with that," she said.

Alex chuckled and then smiled. "Entendido!" he said as he pulled out a chair at a table in the middle of the diner, waited for Allison to sit, and then sat down beside her.

At quarter to six on a Saturday morning the diner was largely deserted. Only disgraced former Port Charles Herald reporter, Mark Carlin, was sitting at the counter drinking his usual cup of black coffee. By the time Alex had arrived in Port Charles in 1991, Carlin had pretty much destroyed any possible opportunities for employment in the field of journalism and was largely skulking around the PCPD, and Kelly's Diner looking for any inside information he could hand over to local ambulance chasing attorney, David Gleeb. Recently he had come into some family money, or something, and launched his own tabloid publication, the Port Charles Intruder. His first issue, in August, had focused on the newest Mafia Princess, Brenda Barrett, soon to be Corinthos, with an uncensored and, more importantly, unauthorized expose. After the Corinthos wedding was called off it seemed that his second issue never made it to new stands in September. Somehow Alex was hard pressed to consider that a great loss.

As PCU student, Tina Harding, poured them both coffee, Allison sent him a look he knew all too well. Their conversation would have to wait until after certain annoying bottom feeders loitering over a cup of coffee had left. He understood her frustration. Somewhat surprisingly, Tiffany Perkins had identified her assailant by name. It was just one of the last names either of them had expected to hear in the context. So, as they sat waiting for ADA Dara Jensen to obtain an arrest warrant and home and office search warrants for an alleged rapist, he was struggling a bit to wrap his head around how it had all unfolded. He was sure his partner was as well, perhaps even more so. Their alleged perpetrator happened to be her father in law's law partner. She had to be struggling to hold onto her objectivity.

Or perhaps she wasn't struggling as much as he was. In the six months he had known Allison, Alex had come to accept that not only was she a step up over his former partner, but she truly excelled in the area of professional ethics as well. Somehow, she had cultivated enough professional detachment that it was never personal, and she could follow the evidence without editorializing or rationalizing. He was still working on that.

XXXXXXXX

In a hospital bed in Pine Valley, PA, Liza Colby Chandler felt like a heartless, hypocritical, heathen, as she prayed to a God she had never accepted as her personal savior not to take her child. It was a bit surreal how much life could change. Four months earlier she had struggled to view the pregnancy as anything less than a disaster. She was in an anything but stable marriage, and she had no idea whether the child growing inside her was her husband's or her lover's. She had considered an abortion, but somehow the reality that there was an actual child growing inside her had been too much to terminate.

In late June, chorionic villus sampling had revealed that the baby was at least chromosomally normal, a boy, and indeed the progeny of Adam Chandler Sr.. The last part had been added on after her husband had left the room hurriedly to return to Chandler Incorporated. Ironically her secrecy had been needless as she ended up throwing those same clandestine test results in her husband's face only a few weeks later when he questioned if he was really the baby's father.

Adam had been contrite and much more invested after that fight. That had added another layer of reality to the situation and their relationship. They were going to be parents! Their bliss was short lived. They had planned to announce their pregnancy at the Chandler 4th of July Party but Erica Kane stole their moment when she was arrested for kidnapping at the party. Then Adam was preoccupied assisting his ex-wife with her defense. To make up for that Adam planned a romantic evening for just the two of them and all had been going well until Adam's daughter, Skye, got arrested again for DUI. Adam had dispatched the family attorney to handle that but then his other daughter, Hayley, called to report that her little brother, who didn't exactly have a license, had stolen her husband's car, and crashed it. That had sent Adam rushing off to Pine Valley Hospital where JR had been taken. Eventually, Liza had given up and gone to bed.

The months that followed hadn't been any less chaotic. Some justice had been served when Erica Kane went off to prison for kidnapping. Tragedy had followed when the Transglobal Jet bound for Philadelphia had crashed killing many, including Dr. Maria Santos-Grey. It had been at the memorial service that she had first begun to realize the sanctity of motherhood as she reflected on the sad reality that Sam and Maddie Grey would grow up without their mother. Now she lay in bed and prayed that she would not grow old without her son.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Eve Lambert covered a yawn as she scrolled down through her patients' lab results on the computer. After her date with Scott, morning had come way too early. A long shower and a second mug of coffee hadn't done much to improve the situation and she was fervently hoping that attending rounds might go swiftly and smoothly so she could escape the hospital and catch up on some sleep before she spent her Sunday on call. Sunday calls were always the worst.

"Well, don't you look positively chipper this morning?" Dr. Chris Ramsey asked as he pulled three charts from the rack behind her.

Eve rolled her eyes and shook her head. "If you must know, Ramsey, my morning was actually starting to look up until you stepped off the elevator."

Chris sat down beside her and opened a chart. "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much. Admit it, Lambert, you find my presence scintillating and exhilarating." he said.

In spite of her frustration, Eve chuckled at Chris's retort. "Just make sure you don't carry your delusions over into your orders. I don't see that going over very well with Dr. Ingstrom," she said. Then she stood quickly and darted off to see her first patient before Chris could get the last word.

Eve paused for a moment outside of Mrs. Reese's room and smiled. She supposed that her morning spar session with Chris had woken her up. Exhilarated would be pushing it, but she was alert, which was always preferable. She would almost thank Chris, except she knew that, with his ego, then he would only be even more insufferable.

XXXXXXXX

As early morning light peeked in through the window, Ned Ashton awoke with an overwhelming urge to drink a gallon of water. He sighed, sat up in bed, and then gasped at the sight of the sleeping woman lying next to him. As he caught his breath, he reminded himself of the reality that Carly was his wife. He got out of bed carefully, trying not to disturb her. He might only barely know his new wife, but it was very clear that she was not a morning person.

Ned padded downstairs and then into the kitchen. He poured himself a large glass of water and shook his head as he reflected on how much everything had changed in two short weeks. His mind replayed his conversation with Jason that, he supposed, had put the whole plan into motion.

 _September 22, 1997_

 _Ned Ashton turned the final page in the contract and yawned. It was definitely feeling like a Monday. Or like Mondays used to feel back when he had a family to spend the weekend with. It had been over a year since he had seen his daughter. She had turned three a month ago and she had blown out all the candles without his help, or her mother's for that matter, as Brenda had informed him afterward. She had gone from a daddy's girl to an independent young lady at three in a year. She had looked so grown up in the pictures Brenda had shared. She was her own little person and he didn't know her at all. That hurt._

 _The buzzing of his intercom system intercom interrupted his thoughts. Ned took one more longing glance at the picture of Brooke Lynn he had on his desk and depressed the intercom button. "Yes, Staci."_

 _"_ _Your cousin is here to see you, Mr. Ashton. I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed until you had gotten through the contract renewals for the Jakarta Division," Staci said._

 _Ned was sure he hadn't said that, or not exactly that because Harver Shipping and Exports, while based in Jakarta, was technically an ELQ subsidiary not a division. Of course, perhaps Staci just didn't understand that. He sighed with frustration, he didn't really feel like dealing with AJ, especially not if he had come with his concerned girlfriend who seemed determined to put all her social work courses to good use and become his self-appointed grief counselor. Somehow Keesha had been much easier to take when she had been in love with a different cousin. "Is he alone?" he finally asked._

 _"_ _Yes," Staci said quickly._

 _Ned noted the discomfort in her voice and wondered what exactly AJ had told her. Contrary to his family's belief, he really wasn't moments away from having a nervous breakdown. Yes, he had been disturbed when his cousin's limousine had been blown up outside Luke's Club on Friday night. Any sane and rational person should be. Yes, it reminded him of the night that Lily Corinthos had died fifteen months earlier but that wasn't really a stretch. He sighed again. "Ok, just show him in, I'm just about done with these contracts anyway," he said._

 _When the door to his office opened Ned saw blue eyes instead of brown, as a man clad in jeans and a leather jacket, not khakis and a polo shirt, crossed his threshold. "Jason?"_

 _Jason stood in front of his desk, shoved his hands in his pockets, and blinked twice for good measure. "I can come back later if this is a bad time?" he offered._

 _"_ _No, no, please have a seat. If it makes you feel any better, I thought you were someone else. I'm glad you're here. How is Robin?" he asked._

 _Jason shrugged his shoulders and dropped down into one of the chairs behind him. "I brought her back to medical school yesterday. We aren't together anymore," he said._

 _"_ _I'm sorry."_

 _Jason gave another shrug. "That isn't why I came. I need a favor, Ned, one I have no right to ask. But, no matter what you decide, I need this to stay between us."_

 _"_ _I hope you know you can trust me. We're family, Jase, we always will be," Ned said. Yet, as he said those words he realized he wasn't just playing back his grandmother's lamentations but truly speaking from his heart. "So, what do you need?"_

 _"_ _I need a way out. I'm going to have a child, but I can't bring them into my life as it is," Jason said._

 _"_ _Are you asking for help to leave the mob?" Ned asked. He wasn't sure exactly how he could help._

 _"_ _That isn't an option. I'm asking you to raise my child."_

 _Ned gasped. "You want me to raise your child with Robin?"_

 _"_ _No, with Caroline Benson," Jason said._

 _"_ _Who is Caroline Benson?"_

 _"_ _Carly Roberts but you should marry her under her legal name."_

 _Ned supposed he should understand stage names, he had once performed as Eddie Maine. However, somehow, he was afraid that that Carly's performances were a bit more illicit. So much for Sonny's vow that he had closed the Paradise Lounge and he had never been in favor of prostitution. The name sounded familiar though, and then it hit him. She was the nurse's aide or whatever at PCGH that had ended up in bed with Dr. Jones. Was Jason the father of her child? "I thought she was engaged to Dr. Jones," he finally said._

 _"_ _She was. That didn't work out, and now Dr. Jones wants to take her baby away."_

 _"_ _So, she wants to say you are the father?"_

 _"_ _I am the father, Ned. I was going to let her raise the baby with Dr. Jones but now that won't work."_

 _"_ _Ok, so how does that lead into me marrying a woman I don't even know?"_

 _"_ _It was Carly's idea. She figured that the Morgan and Ashton bloodlines would come through enough to make the paternity test believable."_

 _Ned laughed. Jason was a Morgan and he was an Ashton, but they were more closely related than it might appear. Jason's mother and his father had apparently been second cousins. His mother and Jason's father were first cousins but when Harold Morgan Jr. and his wife had died in a 1961 fire his eleven-year-old son had come to live with his sister's family. Apparently, his grandfather had respected that Harold Morgan III should remain a Morgan heir even if Ned had often heard him assert how he had really been raised Quartermaine. By that logic Edward could consider himself Jason's grandfather even if he was truly his Great Uncle, a relationship he also shared with Ned's other Morgan cousins, Chloe and Amy Morgan._

 _The idea was absurd! However, in spite of the absurdity, he supposed perhaps Carly was smarter than he had thought because he could imagine it might work. But at what cost? "Jase, please don't ask me to help you miss out on your child. It isn't what you want, trust me.!"_

 _"_ _You don't understand, Ned. It isn't that I don't want my baby, it's just that my life isn't safe so perhaps the best thing I can do for my baby is just get out of the way. You said you hoped I trusted you before. I do trust you to raise my child."_

 _Ned just shook his head. Jason's words were just too much. Lois didn't trust him with his own child, but Jason was willing to let him raise his child no questions asked. "I can't do this, Jase, I can't," he said. He dropped his head into his hands and when he had gained enough composure to raise it Jason was gone._

Jason had accepted his declination. Carly had been more persistent, or perhaps more desperate, so she had shown up at ELQ two days later to plead her own case. She had been cunning and persuasive, but it had been much less her words and much more his own nightmares that had ultimately guided his final acceptance of her plan. So, they had married and now he was preparing to raise his cousin's unborn child as if it was his own. He wasn't sure if that was selfless, selfish, or just insane. The only thing he really knew was that he couldn't handle ever picking out a tiny coffin again and he couldn't imagine putting anyone else he loved through that.


	20. Chapter 18: It's a Beautiful Morning!

Amy Elizabeth Morgan tiptoed through her own home; she didn't want to wake her older sister. Her actions were motivated by much more self-preservation than consideration, especially after another of her early morning nightmares had awakened her sister. In the moment, Chloe had accepted her random explanation and agreed that they should both go back to sleep. In daylight, Amy was afraid her sister wouldn't be quite so easily appeased. Her tennis date with Craig would easily buy her at least a few hours to avoid that reality and she wasn't about to give that up.

Amy paused in the kitchen to grab a bottle of juice and leave a note for her sister. A rap at the door startled her as she wrote. She jumped, dropped her pen, and finally looked over to see her boyfriend Craig's abashed grin.

"Shhh. My sister is still sleeping," Amy whispered as she pulled the sliding door open.

"I thought we were going to just meet at the Health Club," Amy said once Craig had stepped into her kitchen.

"You said last night that you didn't want to leave your sister stranded without a car," Craig said.

Amy didn't remember saying that. She believed she had only because she trusted Craig, or at least believed he had no reason to lie to her. It was probably the latter. "I guess I was more tired than I realized last night," she said.

"It's ok if you want to stop at the grocery store on the way home. I need to pick up some things as well, so I don't mind," Craig offered.

Amy forced a smile. "You know me so well," she said. The truth was that concern over groceries hadn't even made her list of worries. Craig wasn't really in touch with her deep thoughts and feelings he just realized she was a creature of habit. She usually stopped at the grocery store on the way home from the gym on Saturday mornings. She and Craig had actually met in the produce section of their local Pathmark a year earlier when she had first come to Port Charles.

"Don't I now?" Craig asked before he kissed her gently.

Amy reciprocated the kiss without much feeling. "Let me just grab my tennis bag, and we can go," she said as she pulled away.

Craig reached for her hand as they walked out her front door. His 1966 Chevy Convertible was parked in her driveway and he opened the door for her. Unlike many of their peers who always needed the latest and the greatest, Craig was proud to have a car older than he was. He and his father had restored the car the winter before he turned sixteen and he kept the thing in immaculate mint condition. As Craig pulled out of her driveway, Amy reflected on that fact and the reality that her parents would love Craig. Two years ago, she suspected she would have as well. It was a shame really. So much of her life was.

XXXXXXXX

"Exactly how long does it take to get an arrest warrant?" PCPD Detective Alex Garcia said as he and his partner sat in his unmarked car on Wharf Street.

"I'm sure that Dara Jensen is well aware that Judge Lombardi is never in a good mood when someone wakes him up too early and then he really struggles to let go of that resentment when ruling," his partner replied.

Alfonse Lombardi had been a brand new superior court judge when Alex had arrived in Port Charles in January 1991. He had just finished two terms as District Attorney, so Allison's husband had likely known him in that capacity, before he had left the PCPD for the job in Boston. In contrast, her father in law had argued against him during his prosecutor tenure and in front of him during his superior court tenure. Alex suspected her latest tidbit was a perspective he had shared.

"So, you think she is just cooling her heels until eight?" Alex asked.

"I doubt it is really taking her two hours to draw up a few warrants," Allison said.

"Listen, if you need to take off, I can hang out and take care of this with one of the day shift guys," Alex offered.

"The rules haven't changed just because I have a child now. Mackenzie will be fine with her grandparents for a few more hours. My in-laws understand that shifts don't always end with all the loose ends tied up neatly."

Alex decided not to ask if her father in law would understand their arrest of his law partner. He might almost understand if he wouldn't because, honestly, Alex was having a hard time wrapping his head around it all himself. He was well aware that, although no one should be above the law, law enforcement officers and members of the court could often be quite capricious in their application of the concept. He also acknowledged that people rarely knew their colleagues as well as they thought they did. He himself had briefly been partnered with the ninja bandit during his Albuquerque PD days.

XXXXXXXX

The shrill sound of her attending, Dr. Brian Phillips's, pager reverberated off the hollow walls of the connecting corridor between the 4 North Stepdown Unit and 4 North as they walked along.

"Hang on a second, this is the lab," Dr. Phillips said as he reached for one of the phones along the wall.

"They probably have the HIV results on that patient that they will only give to attending physicians. I'll go grab the charts for the patients on 4 North," Dr. Eve Lambert offered.

When she entered the main 4 North wing she immediately saw one of her colleagues scowling despondently over a chart. Admittedly, Chris had a tendency towards doom and gloom, but his countenance seemed a bit much even for him. "Why the long face? Did your stellar management plan not actually go over so well with Dr. Ingstrom?" she asked as she joined him at the chart rack and reached for two charts.

Dr. Chris Ramsey scribbled furiously for a moment before he paused, sighed with frustration, and finally met her eyes. "If you must know, nothing goes over well with Dr. Ingstrom. Unlike you, I don't have the benefit of sleeping with my attending's best friend to pave the way to a good evaluation," he said. He then quickly put his head down and at least pretended to be intently focused on whatever orders he was writing.

"For the last time I am not sleeping with Scott!" Eve screamed. The words came out with much more force and volume than she had intended. She felt her cheeks grow warm as the surrounding background chatter stopped and many pairs of eyes tracked quickly in her direction. To her chagrin, she caught the eyes of Dr. Monica Quartermaine and Dr. Karen Baldwin-Cates among them.

While Eve offered a silent prayer for redemption, or for the floor to swallow her up, she noted that Dr. Quartermaine quickly averted her eyes back to the EKG she had been looking at. As Eve released a deep breath, Dr. Quartermaine reached for a pair of calipers before she whispered something to Karen. Eve could only hope that their whispered conversation related to cardiac rhythms rather than the sex life of their respective brother and father. So, hope she did, as she sadly shook her head, picked up the two charts, and turned only to nearly collide with her attending.

Dr. Phillips took a step back. "Sorry, excuse me, you were right about what that page regarded and, unfortunately for the patient, you were also right about what you thought that test would show when you ordered it in the first place," he said.

Eve gulped. Medicine was full of moments where it was hard to take any satisfaction in being right, and she was definitely standing right in the middle of one. "I was actually hoping I might be wrong," she said.

"When I was an intern, Dr. Quartermaine told me that moments like this contribute to humility and compassion, two important qualities in a physician," Dr. Phillips said.

"Somehow I thought you were older than she was?" Eve asked without thinking.

"I am older, but she graduated from medical school two years earlier and about six years younger than I did, hence she was my upper level resident when she was twenty-two and I was twenty-six. The fact that I had been her older brother's roommate in college just made the experience additionally surreal."

In spite of her chagrin, or perhaps more because of it, Eve had to laugh at Dr. Phillips' comment.

"It all worked out in the end and my wife has continued to nurture my humility, and my compassion, going forward. On that note, we need to go explain this diagnosis, and the implications of it, to Ms. Karr."

Eve followed her attending silently, and very humbly.


	21. Chapter 19: Reflections, Revelations

As he laid the ingredients for omelets out on the long island counter in his kitchen, Ned Ashton debated his choice. Carly had ordered an omelet, when they had gone out to breakfast one morning during their time in Utah, so he figured it was a safe choice. Plus, all the necessary ingredients could be found in his refrigerator. That was definitely an added bonus; as he had no interest in braving the lines at the local Wegman's Supermarket on a Saturday morning.

As he cracked eggs into a glass bowl, Ned smiled when he recalled how his former mother in law had been impressed that he made breakfast, not just right after Lois had the baby, but most mornings. Truth be told, Lois had been the better cook, and she had her mother, Gloria, to thank for that. But Lois had never been the morning person he had been, and mundane cooking was not something Lois had ever enjoyed. Breakfast occurred in the morning, and tended towards the mundane, hence it had become his responsibility.

Ned hadn't spoken to Gloria Cerullo much since the divorce. He supposed it would have been much like his grandmother having a regular connection with Larry Ashton. Mothers usually weren't close friends with the men who broke their daughters' hearts. Although it had never been his intention, he could accept that was exactly what he had done to Lois. He cringed at that thought as he tossed the egg shells into the garbage disposal and returned the carton of remaining eggs to the refrigerator.

As he grated fresh parmesan into the egg mixture Ned's mind forced him to go back over the night that had seemingly destroyed everything. It had started so innocently, or he had thought it had. He had been supposed to meet Katherine Bell at Deception Cosmetics Headquarters to review the contracts for Wyndham's and Logan's Department Stores. Katherine's office at Deception had been being painted so they had relocated to her suite at the Port Charles Hotel.

 _September 5, 1996_

 _Ned Ashton rubbed at his temples as he turned the page in the contract he was reviewing. "This doesn't even make sense, Katherine."_

 _Katherine sat down on the couch next to him and wrapped an arm around him. "What doesn't, darling?"_

 _Ned moved to his left increasing the distance between them before he answered. "Your accountant thought these numbers worked? He seems to have misunderstood the simple concept of supply and demand."_

 _"_ _Well I'm so glad that we asked you to look at this then. Maybe you could give me a little tutorial later," Katherine purred._

 _Ned grimaced at Katherine's flirtations. He wished Deception Cosmetics hadn't become an ELQ subsidiary. But the company had been struggling after Dominique Baldwin's death and as other shareholders lost faith and sold Edward had insisted that ELQ buy up those shares to protect their own interests. Ned suspected that Jax had been planning to raid Deception just as he had raided Strawberry Fields. That hadn't happened but ELQ Diversified had ended up with controlling interest and Edward had pushed the subsidiary option while they explored if Deception needed a new CEO._

 _"_ _AJ could give you a tutorial, this is basic freshman year economics. Personally, I don't see the kid as the future corporate mogul Grandfather does, but he did get an A in Econ 101," Ned quipped._

 _"_ _AJ is a mere child," Katherine scoffed._

 _AJ was nineteen, and not half as cynical as he had been at thirteen, so for the most part Ned could agree. "Sure, but what is your accountant's excuse?"_

 _Katherine smiled and reached for Ned's hand. "Competent help can be so hard to find these days," she purred._

 _Katherine really did have a nice smile, when she wasn't sneering, Ned decided. It didn't compare to Lois's, but he hadn't seen Lois smile at him in weeks. Often, he wondered if he ever would again. He winced as he felt another figurative anvil hit his head. He reached into his briefcase and fumbled for some more Imitrex. As he opened the bottle he realized it was empty and remembered he had meant to pick up a refill._

 _"_ _Are you alright, Ned?" Katherine asked._

 _"_ _I'll be fine," Ned said. He knew that was a lie but what else was there to say?_

 _"_ _You don't look fine. I'm sorry. This has been very insensitive of me asking you for help with all you must be going through."_

 _Ned wasn't sure he wanted to know what Katherine thought he was going through. "When Deceptions became an ELQ subsidiary then I gained new responsibilities. It comes with the job description, not your fault. But it is getting late so maybe we can finish this up in the morning. How about nine o'clock in my office at ELQ? You can ask your accountant to join us."_

 _"_ _I am sorry for your loss, Ned."_

 _"_ _My loss?"_

 _"_ _Your child. I'm sorry, Brenda mentioned it and I know that Lois and I have never been close, but I do feel her pain and yours as well."_

 _Ned grabbed his head again in pain and frustration. "Brenda shouldn't have mentioned that to you," he said tersely. But what he was really wondering was who else Brenda had mentioned it to. Had she told her boyfriend, AJ? That could be an even bigger disaster than Katherine Bell knowing._

 _"_ _I won't say anything to anyone," Katherine said._

 _Ned wondered if he could believe that. He supposed he didn't really have much choice. "I would appreciate that. It isn't easy for Lois to talk about right now and I think that more people knowing would just make it harder for her."_

 _"_ _That may be true for Lois but is that fair to you?"_

 _"_ _Katherine, please," Ned began._

 _"_ _I won't say anything, Ned. I give you my word on that, but I know what you're going through and I want to help."_

Later, Ned had learned that Brenda had never said anything to Katherine. Katherine had overheard a conversation between Lois and Brenda at Brooke Lynn's second birthday party the month before. However, Katherine had kept her word and, as far as Ned knew, she hadn't told anyone. If things had ended there; maybe there still would have been a chance that he and Lois could have worked things out. Maybe…

That hadn't been the end of it though. In his bitter moments, Ned reflected that if Lois didn't want him sleeping elsewhere, she shouldn't hang up on him when he called her needing a ride home. She probably shouldn't have, but he also knew that he could have called Alan, he could have called a cab and he hadn't so perhaps he was just grasping at straws.

 _September 5, 1996_

 _"_ _Lois," Ned said desperately. "Don't hang up," he added as a defeated afterthought as the dial tone echoed in his ear. The noise only intensified the throbbing of his head, so he returned the phone to it's cradle and dropped his head back into his hands._

 _"_ _You're welcome to stay here, Ned," Katherine offered._

 _On many levels Ned suspected that was probably a bad idea. Katherine might be involved with Commissioner Scorpio but that didn't mean she believed in fidelity. However, he did believe in fidelity, so nothing would happen. Katherine's couch sounded much more appealing than calling his uncle._

 _Alan meant well. Ned was sure he did. He could even understand, he and Monica had lost a child years earlier. Yet, Alan couldn't really understand because their loss hadn't been shrouded in secrecy and shame. Alan knew only because he had been the trauma surgeon on call that evening. As a surgeon he was obligated to keep their secret. As an uncle he encouraged them to tell the rest of the family the truth. But Lois couldn't, or wouldn't, go there._

 _"_ _You obviously can't drive when you're in this much pain," Katherine said._

 _No, he couldn't, or he definitely shouldn't. "I wouldn't want to impose," he said._

 _"_ _You wouldn't be. Mac is doing some police thing or something."_

 _"_ _I'll just call a cab," Ned said. He started to reach again for the phone as more pain seared through his eyes._

 _Katherine laughed. "Do Quartermaines take cabs?" she asked._

 _"_ _Well, no, not usually," Ned admitted._

 _"_ _Why don't you just stay here?" Katherine purred. "Let me help you, Ned."_

The truth was that Ned remembered very little beyond that conversation. He remembered taking some Ibuprofen and stumbling into Katherine's guestroom. What happened after that he really didn't recall. The next thing he did recall was the horror he had felt to wake up, unclothed, next to a woman who wasn't his wife. His stomach had rebelled at that point and he had barely made it to the bathroom before he had vomited. Eventually he had pulled himself together at least enough to dress and make his egress down to the office in the hotel his family owned. There he had debated internally but eventually he had called his Uncle Alan. He certainly hadn't been able to even think of facing Lois.

He had spent the rest of the morning in the Emergency Department at Port Charles General. After a few liters of IV fluids he almost had felt human, until he remembered the feelings of the moment he had first awoken. It was tempting to try to bury those feelings and just forget. That seemed to be the approach Lois was trying to take towards any memories of their daughter. But somehow, he had known that wasn't the right approach.

So, he had gone to Lois, told her what little he had managed to piece together, and begged for forgiveness and mercy. He had told Lois he had never intended for any of it to happen, that he still loved her, and he always would. He had offered to go to counseling, anything, to get their marriage back on track. Lois had just silently asked him for a divorce. She had returned to Bensonhurst the next day and taken their surviving daughter with her. He was still choking on the regrets.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Gail Baldwin smiled at the sweetly sleeping child curled up on their couch with her afghan and stuffed rabbit. Serena had spent the prior night at her older sister's apartment and Karen had dropped her off at their home on her way to make morning rounds at the hospital. Serena had sleepily stumbled across the living room and promptly fallen back to sleep on the couch. Gail could only hope that her eldest grandchild had gotten a bit more sleep than her sister since she was on call and would be at the hospital until late Sunday morning.

Serena stirred in her sleep, then opened her eyes, sat up and looked at her Grandmother. "Were you watching me sleep? Daddy does that, I'm not sure why." Serena asked.

"Your father loves you very much. I suspect sometimes he is awestruck by just how wonderful you are. Now that you're awake, why don't you come into the kitchen and you can help me make French Toast."

"Will daddy be joining us for French Toast?" Serena asked as she followed her into the kitchen, still carrying her rabbit, and climbed up onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

Gail hesitated before she answered her granddaughter. Saturday was usually her day to spend with Serena. She didn't have to work. Serena didn't have school and that left Scott and Lee free to catch up on any work that spilled over into the weekend. For that reason, it made perfect sense that Karen had dropped Serena off at their house on her way to the hospital. Unfortunately, Karen had admitted that she had dropped Serena off at their house because she had wanted to risk interrupting, or witnessing, her colleague, Dr. Eve Lambert, sneaking out of her father's house.

To an extent, Gail didn't believe that Scott's relationship with Eve, or really with any woman, was a part of his life she should expect any say in or control over. He had celebrated his forty fifth birthday in May and was beyond a fully autonomous and consenting adult. It was well past time when she and Lee should have stepped back and allowed Scott to live his own life. They had for the most part but that didn't mean they didn't worry. Scott was a supportive son, a devoted brother, and an engaged and responsible parent but romantic relationships were just not his strength.

"I think your dad was going to meet your Grandpa at the office. They have some work they need to finish up before Monday. That is ok, because it just means that we will have more time together today at the children's museum!" Gail finally said as she pulled a bowl down from the cupboard and grabbed eggs and milk out of the refrigerator.

"I wish Karen could come with us," Serena said.

"Yes, that would be fun, but Karen is on call at the hospital today. Maybe she can come with us next week. Do you want to crack the eggs?"

"Yes! Aunt Monica taught me a new trick to keep the shells from getting in," Serena said as she reached to pull the box of eggs across the counter towards her.

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett stretched underneath the covers a few times before she opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock but, it was Saturday so Quartermaine family breakfast was much more of come downstairs when it suits you and serve yourself. Edward Quartermaine hated that!

A gentle knock pulled Brenda from her thoughts. "Come in," she called as she sat up in bed.

The door opened, and thirteen-year-old Emily Quartermaine stepped into the room. "I'm sorry if I woke you up," she began.

"You didn't. I'm just working on summoning the motivation to actually get out of bed." Brenda said.

Emily laughed. "AJ is taking me to school because the bus for the meet leaves at 8:30. He can come back and take Katelyn to junior swim team practice at ten as well but I think she wants an audience, so it would be incredibly awesome if you went with them, and grandfather."

"Was this Edward's idea?" Brenda asked. She had already agreed to go Katelyn's lesson and had no real intention of backing out, but she really hoped that Edward wasn't still trying to reunite her with his grandson.

"I think it was grandmother's idea that grandfather tag along. His plan A involved descending on Ned and Carly since, as he put it, Ned was not exactly forthcoming with information regarding whatever patent he and Celia were working on last week. Grandmother basically put a full stop to Plan A, decreed that Ned and Carly deserve a little newlywed privacy, and suggested that he go support a different grandchild. I'm sure mom and dad will be instructed to drag him to my cross country meet for similar reasons."

Brenda shuddered at the idea of Ned and Carly but smiled at Lila's efforts. "I guess I overreacted, I was afraid this was another of Edward's efforts to push AJ and I back together," she said.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think that grandfather was much more interested in pulling you away from Sonny than really tying you to AJ. Of course, I don't think he is much more in favor of Jax so who knows?"

Brenda decided not to admit to Emily she wasn't so sure she was any more in favor of Jax than Edward was. She knew she was just going through the motions with him and she suspected he was doing the same. As wrong as it might be, her heart was still wrapped up in Sonny and she was afraid it would be for a long time to come.

"You're probably right and, on some level, even Edward is probably right. I know that Sonny ended our engagement for my safety. The problem is that sometimes hearts defy logic," Brenda said as she turned back the quilt and got out of bed.

"Isn't that the best explanation for Ned marrying Carly?" Emily asked.

Brenda smiled. "Excellent point! Good luck at your meet, I may join your parents if I get enough studying done after Katelyn's lesson. I have a test on Tuesday in statistics."

"Ok, maybe I'll see you later. Enjoy your Chi-squares!"

"Oh yeah, always, although, sadly, you may actually know more about them than I do," Brenda said. She was kind of joking, but only kind of.


	22. Further Response to Reviews

I appreciate all thoughts, suggestions, and feedback. It helps so keep it coming! I will post Chapter 20 later today or tomorrow morning.

More thoughts….

-I haven't watched GH in years, but I think that Ned was a rather tortured character around the time he was losing Lois, especially in the context of how things ended with his first wife. I also think he carries a lot of baggage because of his parents' divorce, the expectations as a Quartermaine, etc. His relationship with his mother is tenuous and so much more awkward than either of them want it to be but they both struggle to get past that. Tracy Quartermaine is much different in this and I think her marriage to Dr. Ryan Grabler gives her a source of support and makes it much easier for her to really be a good mom to her younger children. Of course, that comes with it's own guilt and comparisons to how much she struggled with Ned.

-This is written from the premise that Michael really is Jason's biological son but Jason isn't in a position to raise him safely as a mob boss. So that brings us to one of Carly's trademark wacky plans and the rest kind of falls out from there (exactly how is still a bit fluid as I am still writing). As I've said before I don't really see Ned and Carly ending up with a great romance but I think the early seeds of friendship are starting to be sown.

-I also liked Chloe (and her relationship and "marriage" to Ned is maybe an approximation of where things could go with Ned and Carly-although Carly is much different so it will be different). I haven't decided if I want to consider a Jax and Chloe pairing. I'm kind of leaning towards finding someone else for her. Pairing suggestions are always welcome. I don't promise to use/honor them but I will test write almost any pairing and keep an open mind.

-I debated bringing Liza and Adam Chandler into this story but Adam's son JR is mentioned by Alison Barrington in Chapter 3 and then appears himself in Chapter 12. I try to avoid a lot of side explanation so when I write in original or crossover characters, I bring them in and then try to flesh them out. Although it may not make as much sense now, JR will be important in future chapters and I think it helps to have some background and context for his family.

Ok now some pairing thoughts (and questions if anyone wants to respond):

-I think my Jarly champion gave up on this piece but it is actually looking pretty good for your pairing and perhaps even for the person who suggested that Ned and Lois could reconcile.

-My muse is really struggling with Jax and Brenda. This is actually written from the standpoint that instead of chasing after Sonny in late 1995 and early 1996 Brenda platonically dated Miguel until Sonny told her he was going to divorce Lily. Brenda was preparing to leave town with Sonny (and encouraged Miguel to go to Lily who she knew he still loved). Miguel wished her well even though he feared for her safety. Sonny went home to break the divorce news to Lily and she told him she was pregnant with his child. Sonny told Brenda he was going to stay in his marriage and raise his kid. Brenda told him to "Make it worth it; be a great father!" (that line is borrowed cannon) and resigned herself to accept Sonny and Lily's marriage. She even brought Lily a gift for the baby with genuine intentions. Then Lily died in the car bomb her father's people set to kill her husband (which is also canon). After Lily's death Sonny and Brenda were both mired in too much guilt and grief to be together. Brenda dated AJ Quartermaine (who had recently broken up with Nikki Langton who he was never actually engaged to and found her standing in the rain instead of Jax and took her to Kelly's for hot cocoa not off to his island to get married as a consolation gift) starting sometime in between Lily's funeral and the 1996 Nurses' Ball. Brenda also sort of considered her relationship with AJ pretty platonic in many ways and she was working as his parents' nanny at the time. In February 1997 their relationship fizzled back into friendship and Brenda spent a romantic Valentine's Day with Sonny Corinthos. AJ spent Valentines 1997 helping Keesha out at Ward House. Sonny and Brenda got engaged. Keesha and AJ officially started dating (with much encouragement from Brenda) in August 1997. Later that month (a few hours before the rehearsal) Sonny told Brenda his world was too dangerous for her and he couldn't marry her. He then left town looking for Rivera (who he had learned was still alive) and Jason took over the organization. Brenda spent the weekend of her planned wedding in Manhattan with Lois and Brooke. Shortly after she returned to Port Charles, she took the Jacks Cosmetics Spokesmodel position. Jax informed her that part of the job entailed being his escort to any social engagements. Brenda doesn't really realize how much Jax is still into Lois but at least in Jax's mind he is dating Brenda to make Lois jealous.

-I'm also struggling with making AJ and Keesha come alive. I have written some stuff with them set further in the future so I'm continuing to give them a chance (or perhaps I'm fighting my muse-we will see) but I think my muse is leaning to making another go of Brenda and AJ.

Pairing Questions:

1.)Jax & Brenda or Jax & Chloe or Jax & Lois

2.)AJ & Brenda or AJ & Carly or AJ & Keesha

3.)Any ideas on Ned & Lois?


	23. Chapter 20: Comings and Going

Scott Baldwin reached for an apple from the bowl on his kitchen counter and absently took a bite as he scanned Saturday's edition of the Port Charles Herald. Apparently, the PCPD were still investigating the limo explosion that had occurred, outside Luke Spencer's club, two weeks prior. As he took another bite of his apple, he contemplated how diplomatic the word investigating could be. Investigating merely committed the department to keep the case open; it didn't actually obligate them to solve the crime, much less, provide sufficient evidence to the prosecutor's office to ensure that justice could be served.

As a former Chapparal County Prosecutor, Scott understood that justice being served was anything but a foregone conclusion. Sadly, in his three-year tenure as an assistant DA he had seen very little justice served. That had been a big motivator for his April 1997 resignation. He had couched it as a decision which was right for his family, but truly had just been too burned out as a public servant to continue. Unfortunately, admitting that would have invited criticism of his new boss, DA Abigail Mitchell. Personally, and professionally, he hadn't wanted to do that.

Loud and fast knocks pulled Scott from his thoughts. "Hold your horses, I'm coming!" he shouted as he made his way to his front door.

When he opened his front door, Scott found himself face to face with two of Port Charles' finest, Detectives Alex Garcia and Allison Jordan. "To what do I owe this honor?" Scott quipped.

"We have a warrant for your arrest," Detective Garcia said without emotion.

"On what charge?"

"Rape," Detective Garcia said in the same emotionless monotone.

 _Rape?! The charge was ludicrous. He wouldn't…He couldn't…._ "That is ridiculous! This is clearly a mistake!"

"Listen, Scott, we're just doing our jobs and executing this arrest warrant. You will get a chance to tell your side of the story. Maybe you're right and this is a mistake, but we can't resolve that mistake debating this on your front porch," Detective Jordan said.

Logically, Scott knew she was right, at least about the process. His earlier thoughts regarding justice and the lack thereof in Port Charles came back to haunt him. "Let me grab my briefcase and I will surrender voluntarily," he said. Quickly he turned to the table by his front door, closed the lid of his briefcase and briefcase in hand started back towards the door.

Technically, Scott knew that once an arrest warrant had been executed surrendering voluntarily should be off the table. Yet, he acted on a hunch and took the chance that neither detective would question him as he made his way to their unmarked car.

Scott's hunch paid off. He found some small solace in that as Detective Garcia pulled away from the curb and started their trip to the PCPD.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton was greeted by the smell of fresh brewed coffee as she descended the stairs of her new home. As the scent of hazelnut wafted towards her, Carly took a deep breath and vowed to make the best of her time as the newest Mrs. Ned Ashton.

"You have perfect timing. I was just debating whether I should wake you before your omelet got cold," Ned said as she entered the kitchen.

"You made me an omelet?"Carly asked. She couldn't remember the last time someone had personally cooked for her.

Ned turned to open a drawer beneath the wall oven and pulled out a shallow baking dish. "Yes, and between you and me, our warming drawer is a bit of poor substitute for fresh from the oven or pan so, please, sit, eat!"

Carly followed Ned into the breakfast nook area and dropped down in front of one of already laid place settings.

Ned placed Carly's omelet on the plate. "Did you want juice? Coffee? Both?" he asked.

"Both, definitely." Carly said as she reached for her fork. She had no idea if Ned could cook but somehow just the idea that he had tried was really sweet. For half a second, she almost forgot that their marriage was a means to an end.

When the first bite hit her mouth, Carly realized that Ned didn't need partial credit for effort. He got full marks for flavor. "This is really good!" she said as Ned set a glass and mug down in front of her and then joined her with what looked like a bowl of oatmeal."

"You say that as if it surprises you," Ned quipped before taking a gulp of his own coffee.

"No, I didn't mean it that way. It's cool that you're a culinary God, I struggle to boil water."

'I think culinary God is a bit of an overstatement but I'm glad you like it," Ned said with a smile.

Carly really looked at her husband for the first time. His smile was warm and genuine. She knew that, in spite of his frustration with most things Quartermaine, Jason had really trusted and respected Ned. Maybe he would be a good father. That would be convenient if he was because she was pretty sure it was unlikely, she would be a good mother.

XXXXXXXX

Alexis Davis poured coffee from the silver decanter on the sideboard in the formal dining room, took a sip and smiled. Even on the weekends, the Wyndemere Staff were up before dawn making sure everything was ready for a new day. Mrs. Lansbury supervised the kitchen staff and ensured that breakfast was laid in the dining room by seven o'clock. Coffee and food were replenished kept warm until ten o'clock, on Stefan's orders, in case he wanted to conduct a morning breakfast meeting. Or at least that was the spoken rationale. Alexis had never known her cousin to conduct breakfast meetings, and suspected that it was really his way of extending a kindness to her without having to change his position on the importance of early rising.

As she sat down at the long dining room table with her coffee and baklava, Alexis reached into her briefcase for the latest version of Dr. Rachel Locke's contract with PCGH. Negotiations with the psychiatrist had been ongoing for about nine months. Alexis couldn't decide if the woman was just picky and entitled, or if she really didn't want to work for PCGH at all. She strongly suspected the latter.

Alexis was still reviewing the contract and Dr. Locke's latest demands when Stefan entered wearing riding jodhpurs and boots. "Nikolas and I are heading out for a ride. I have asked Mrs. Lansbury not to hold lunch on our account."

Alexis debated internally if she wanted to ask about Katherine. She knew Stefan had planned to end his relationship with Katherine the prior evening. Katherine had been gone when she and Nikolas had returned home from the Quartermaine reception and Stefan had already retired to his quarters for the evening. Stefan's face revealed nothing, of course her cousin had never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve so that meant very little.

"Are you still leaving for Greece this evening?" Alexis asked instead.

"I am. I will return Tuesday evening."

"Don't forget about the hospital board meeting Wednesday morning."

"Of course, I have adjusted my itinerary accordingly. I doubt any decisions of actual consequence will be made. Still, it would not do to have the CEO not in attendance," Stefan said.

As they usually did, Stefan's words left Alexis with more questions than answers.


	24. Chapter 21: Legal Foibles and Follies

Chapparal County ADA, Chase Murdoch, stepped off the elevator a bit grudgingly. Although it was October, the weather forecast called for a high in the upper sixties and it would have been a perfect day to hike in the Chapparal County State Park with his wife. Instead he would be spending the day staring at the four walls of his office and hoping to find something, anything, that would allow him to at least convince himself that local college student, Kaylee Reynolds was actually a murderess.

As he entered the District Attorney's Office Suite that occupied most of the fourth floor of the Courthouse, Chase was surprised to see lights on. He was more surprised to see fellow prosecutor, Rod Tagglione, pacing in his office as he walked past.

"What are you doing?" Chase asked as he paused in the doorway of his colleague's office.

"Sometimes I think better when in motion. I have an arraignment hearing in two hours and I am anything but prepared."

This surprised Chase. New York State Penal code required arraignment within twenty-four hours of arrest, so Saturday afternoon arraignments were not uncommon for their office. However, he had thought that their colleague Dara Jensen was handling all weekend arraignments. "I thought Dara had this weekend," he said.

"She does, however, apparently I am the only person who didn't have a conflict of interest with the defendant. I never worked with him because I was hired to replace him after he resigned," Rod Tagglione.

"What charges are you trying to arraign Scott Baldwin on?" Chase asked.

"First degree rape."

Chase hadn't expected that. He wasn't sure exactly what he had been expecting, but certainly not that. Scott Baldwin had defended Felicia Jones; he had been one of the first people to realize that Dr. Ryan Collins was anything but an innocent victim. If his grandfather had been a prosecutor's prosecutor, then perhaps Scott Baldwin had been a victim's prosecutor. He had certainly led their office in rape convictions during his three-year tenure.

"So, I'm guessing you're pretty convinced he isn't guilty also?" Rod asked.

"I don't have any knowledge of the case. If you're asking if this seems like something he might do, then, no, it doesn't. I guess that is why we follow the evidence and put our personal feelings aside," Chase said.

"Is that part of your opening in the Kaylee Reynolds trial?" Rod asked.

Chase contemplated that for a moment. Rod could have a point; the blonde-haired college student certainly didn't look like a killer. But looks could be deceiving and he would need to emphasize that with the jury. The only problem with following the evidence was that it was rather limited. Witnesses had recounted hearing Kaylee argue with Dr. Pierce Dorman at a local diner roughly twenty-four hours before his death. Hospital security cameras showed her going into the morgue at PCGH on the day of the murder. She exited only a few minutes later which the ME felt gave her insufficient time to commit the murder. Regardless, that evidence had been enough to get a search warrant though which yielded a scalpel with Pierce Dorman's blood found in the trunk of Kaylee's car.

"Yeah, maybe, speaking of that I still have a lot of trial prep to do so I need to get to that. Good luck with your arraignment!"

XXXXXXXX

Chapparal County Child Protective Case Worker, Maggie Carpenter, took another look at the case file she had been given. It appeared that Family Court Judge Robert Preston had already signed the removal order so there wasn't much for her to do other than tag along with someone from the PCPD or the Chapparal County Sheriff's Department to collect the child. Being that it was only her third day on the job, Maggie genuinely wasn't sure which law enforcement agency they used. With a sigh she realized it was time for another call to her supervisor. Perhaps someone should have considered that having a brand-new caseworker take weekend call before even working a full week was a bad plan.

Chapparal County Social Services Deputy Commissioner, Sarah Abbott O'Connor, informed Maggie that she should call the Chapparal County Sheriff not the Port Charles PD to enforce the pickup order. She also reminded her that all children were triaged through PCGH for medical clearance on weekends and then placed in emergency shelter through Ward House. That was more useful information that had hardly been covered during orientation.

XXXXXXXX

PCPD Detective Allison Jordan stood in the doorway as the crime scene techs finished up their evidence collection. Perhaps they would find something she was missing but executing the search warrant at the Law Firm of Baldwin, Jordan, and Baldwin had been quite anticlimactic. Nothing suggested that a crime had been committed, but Tiffany Peterson had been adamant that Scott Baldwin had required her to work late, plied her with alcohol, and then raped her on his office desk. Her story had been disjointed and at times even in contradiction to itself. There were many explanations for that from memory distortion due to drug and alcohol intoxication, trauma, or even being an adolescent.

Of course, there was also another explanation for the lack of internal validity in Tiffany's words. It was possible that her story was just that, a story. Yet, as a woman, as a mother, and as a victim advocate Allison couldn't let herself go there. She knew that false reports did happen. Statistically for that was around two percent for sexual assaults, according to US Justice Department Statistics. So logically, Allison knew that Scott Baldwin could certainly be part of the persecuted two percent. To be fair that even fit with what she knew of his character, but as someone who was charged with being a voice for the voiceless; it was almost as hard to envision a false reporting of sexual assault as it was to believe that Scott Baldwin could rape a child.


	25. Chapter 22: Uphill Battles

Emily Quartermaine's spikes dug into the dirt as she shortened her stride but increased her cadence and passed the leader just as they crested the final hill. Her legs burned but she resisted the temptation to slow down and lengthened her strides as she coursed along the wood chip lined trail. It was only six hundred meters to the finish line. She figured she could do almost anything for two minutes.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine held his youngest daughter on his shoulders as they stood at the mouth of the trail head. Once the runners passed them it would be only one hundred meters to the finish.

"I see Emily!" Katelyn said from her perch. "Go Emily!"

"Good job, Em! Finish strong!" Alan called as his daughter sprinted past him on her way to victory.

As they waited for the rest of the Emily's teammates to emerge from the woods Alan remembered the first time she had asked if she could go running with him during the hard period leading up to her mother's death. At the time Alan had suspected she had just wanted out of the house. She had admitted as much the previous summer.

They hadn't gone very far that day, he had been concerned that her gym sneakers perhaps weren't suitable for lots of miles and she was ten and got tired. After she had "escaped" on a few more runs with him he had taken her to the local sporting goods store and bought her a pair of her own trainers. She had picked a pair of Asics because they were purple, her favorite color. There had been a brief awkward moment when the salesgirl referred to him as her dad but after a few tears he had taken her to Guptils an ice-cream, candy, and frozen treat shop across the street where they had both gotten grape Popsicles because she assured him it was the best. There they had sort of reached an uneasy truce that he wouldn't ever try to take her father's place in her life. After Paige's death their runs became more frequent. They didn't talk. In fact, it was almost an unspoken rule that they wouldn't talk. But they were together and somehow that had kept Emily anchored in the world, in their family.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine wrapped her arms around her middle daughter as she emerged victorious from the chute at the end of her cross-country race. "Good Job Emily!"

"Umm, thanks," Emily said only slightly breathless.

"Wow Emily, you did awesome! Your team is going to do well too because it looks like Amy is third and here comes Lisa and Gee Sung." her elder daughter Allison said as she joined them.

Allison's words were quickly drowned by loud cheers."Go Gee Sung! Goooooooooo!"

With a shudder, Monica realized that the Yoos were also in attendance at their daughter's cross-country meet.

Almost twelve years ago when she had first returned to PCGH after cardiology fellowship she had met Gee Sung Yoo and repaired her ventricular septal defect in the cath lab. The procedure had gone very well. Her parents, Geon Wu and Saiko Yoo, who owned a Chinese restaurant in the Asian Quarter, had been grateful and appreciative. At the time Monica had been a bit embarrassed by their praise but she remembered then Chief of Staff, Dr. Steve Hardy, reminding her that sometimes you had to take your wins when you could so she just assured them that she was glad that the procedure had gone well.

Years passed. The Yoos remained steadfastly gracious at every follow up appointment. Then, Emily ended up making the Varsity track team as a seventh grader and Monica ran into both of the Yoos at a track meet. She supposed that she should have known Gee Sung was running, Mrs. Yoo had scheduled a special appointment just for her to fill out her sports physical forms but she was a little distracted by everything with Jason and they had caught her off guard with their onslaught of hugs. She had tried to go with it. Eighteen months later she was ashamed to admit she tried to avoid them at meets.

Unfortunately, Monica accepted, as she made eye contact with Geon Wu Yoo, today was not going to be a successful avoidance day.

"Dr. Quartermaine, what a pleasure to see you again," Geon Wu Yoo said as he joined them.

"Gee Sung ran very well, you should be proud of her and her hard work," Monica suggested.

"I am; but please understand that Saiko and I both know that none of this would be possible without your help years ago. We know that is a debt we can never repay."

"I wouldn't say that. I think we all have our place in this world and our own callings to help. My calling is medicine, but we all have a role and a contribution to our greater community," Monica suggested.

"I suppose that is one way to look at it. Thank you again," Mr. Yoo said as he went to reunite with his own daughter.

"You know, Mom, that is a good way to look at it. We do all have our strengths and our gifts. I can see how for some physicians, medicine can be a calling. I think it has been for you and dad, even if some other people chose medicine for the wrong reasons," Allison said.

Monica had a pretty good idea what physician might head her daughter's list, the late Dr. Pierce Dorman. She wasn't sure how to address that. Perhaps Allison sensed that.

"I really just meant, I think you and dad are pretty amazing," Allison said.

"Thank you. Your father and I are pretty partial to both of you and your brothers and sister as well. I know this past year has been hard for both of you. Your father and I are very sorry for all of the aftermath and how it has impacted you. We just want you to know that we both believe in both of you and we want to be there," Monica said as she pulled both daughters close to her and hugged them.

As Emily and Allison reciprocated the hug an ear-piercing sound came from her purse, her cellphone. _Apparently, her calling was calling._


	26. Chapter 23: The Beginning of the End?

"I think you need to consider that this could have been a lot worse. You have been released on bail. Child Protective agreed to place Serena with your sister and Alan; thank heavens that home study they had to do to adopt Emily hadn't expired yet," Lee Baldwin told his son.

"I think you're missing the point that I didn't do any of this," Scott Baldwin fumed.

"Of course not, we will get that resolved too. I just can't understand why Tiffany would make all of this up. Her grandmother, Estelle, was one of your mother's best friends. Gail and I were invited to her parents wedding at the country club years ago. They got married the year before you and Laura did."

"People lie, there isn't always a great reason," Scott said simply. His years as a prosecutor had made that very clear.

XXXXXXXX

In the West Wing of the Chandler Mansion, JR Chandler shot his way through another game of Ace Combat 2 and tried to forget the look of indifferent disappointment his father had given him when he had arrived at the hospital. His Uncle Stuart had quickly swooped in and explained that his stepmother, Liza, had already been taken back to the OR so perhaps they should go get some lunch. Hayley had joined them so they had gone to the restaurant she and her new husband, Mateo Santos, owned; Holidays. Neither had said anything when he had ordered pancakes at one in the afternoon. Hayley had chattered away about the restaurant as they ate. After lunch, Stuart had offered to take him back to the hospital but he had claimed he had a lot of homework to get started on. The last part was probably a true statement, especially since he had skipped school entirely on Friday. Unfortunately, he just didn't see the point. It wasn't like anyone would notice, or care, if he failed every single class.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine descended the kitchen stairs after putting her daughter and niece to bed. Their bedtime routine had gone smoothly. After brushing teeth and two stories both girls had quickly drifted off to sleep without protest. But as Monica had watched Serena sleep, cuddled up with the rabbit Dominique had chosen for her years ago, on the trundle bed in Katelyn's room, she had dreaded what would come next. In the morning they would have to explain something to Serena about the events which had led to the impromptu slumber party. Normally Monica was a firm believer in giving kids the truth even if it was messy and giving them the support and tools to deal with that truth. The only problem was that she wasn't completely sure what the truth was. Her father had briefly and tersely explained what her brother had been accused of. He had vehemently asserted that Scott wouldn't have, couldn't have done any of that. In her heart Monica had to believe that. But, also in her heart, as a rape survivor herself, she couldn't completely discount the word of another presumptive victim, especially one who was only a few years older than her elder daughters.

When she stepped into her kitchen, Monica saw that her husband had apparently finished loading the dishwasher and was busily wiping their expanse of granite countertops. "Did AJ drop Emily and Allison off at jazz band rehearsal on his way to pick up Keesha?" she asked.

Alan laid the sponge behind the double sink faucet and reached for the cloth to buff the counters. "Yes, they should be done around nine. I was planning on picking them up. Kirk and Dylan are downstairs watching a movie. They understand that bedtime is still nine o'clock."

Kirk had felt left out since Katelyn was getting to have Serena sleep over so they had allowed Kirk to invite Dylan. It was easier than attempting to explain the unexplainable. At least for her.

Monica searched for words to convey to her husband how much she appreciated him, for not questioning when her father had called and asked if they could take Serena, for cleaning the kitchen, for a million other things. But there really weren't words so she just laid a hand over his and leaned in.

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett turned another page in her statistics textbook. At the rate she was going she might be ready for the exam next month, unfortunately, her exam was Tuesday. She shook her head and took a deep breath. For some reason she thought of her older sister, Julia. From Julia's perspective, especially since she was only taking a single course during fall semester, there was no excuse for anything less than an A. Brenda was quite certain that wouldn't be happening.

The sound of her cell phone pulled Brenda from p values and she reached for her phone and flipped it open with one hand. "Hello…"

Her greeting was met with near silence. She could hear faint barely audible breathing but no words. "Hello," she repeated. She waited a few more moments, then she closed her phone and tried to push the whole incident out of her mind. The call was not a new thing. She had received the first one on what should have been her wedding night. At the time she had wondered if, or maybe just hoped that, the call was from Sonny and he had lost his nerve to speak. But later, when she processed everything through a more logical and less emotional framework; she realized that Sonny wouldn't do that because the whole point of refusing to marry her was to distance her from him for her safety. He wouldn't take a chance on the phone line being traced or tapped.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine went to open the door before her father in law had a chance to complain about the indignity of anyone other than a household servant answering the door. It was a common refrain. Yet, somehow, Edward had survived, albeit with much grumbling, seventeen years without servants. He and Lila had moved in to "help" the summer she had started her Cardiology fellowship.

On the other side of the door Monica found her mother.

"Your brother put together some extra clothes and books for Serena. We decided it was best if I delivered them," Dr. Gail Baldwin said.

"Thank you. Would you like to come in?" Monica

Gail nodded silently and stepped into the formal Quartermaine foyer with a small suitcase which she set down just beyond the door on the settee.

"Would you like some tea? I just put some water water on."

"Yes, that would be nice," Gail said but she sounded uncertain as she followed her daughter down the East Hallway past the living room, dining room, a powder room and the butler's pantry that offered another entry into the kitchen.

Monica reached to turn off the cooktop and then poured hot water over the tea ball already in the tea pot. "Why don't we go into the solarium, it's a more comfortable place to sit," she suggested.

As she laid the tea tray down on the coffee table, Monica couldn't shake how awkward everything felt which was so atypical in her relationship with her mother. They both went through the motions of adding lemon and sugar to their chamomile tea and then sat in silence for a moment.

Gail broke the silence. "Your father also arranged with the caseworker for Scott to have a supervised goodbye visit with Serena tomorrow after church," she said.

Monica wasn't sure that was a good idea. Of course, she wasn't sure of much so she just nodded silently and then took a sip of her tea.

"Honey, I don't think there is any easy way to say this. Your father and I know this is a difficult time for you. Your brother hated to even ask that you take on anything else but he is very grateful you and Alan are able to do this for Serena. I just want you to know that if there is anything we can do to lighten your load we want to do that."

"I know. Serena is our niece, we need to be there for her. You're right the timing is horrible, but is there really a good time to be falsely accused of rape? Let's just hope this gets resolved relatively quickly for everyone's sake but especially Serena's."


	27. Chapter 24: Women's Work

October 5, 1997

Dr. Monica Quartermaine emerged from the pool at the Port Charles Fitness Club after getting her morning laps in. She quickly picked Allison and Kirk out of the figurative sea of young swimmers in the lanes reserved for swim team and then headed into the women's locker room for a quick shower before she headed to the hospital. She needed to place a central line in the ICU and then she needed to round efficiently so she could get home in time for breakfast and church.

She was crossing through the lobby on her way to the parking lot when she saw a familiar face. "Scott," she called with more trepidation than she wanted.

Her brother stopped a few paces from her and shoved his hands into the pocket of his sweat pants uncomfortably. "I couldn't really sleep," he said.

Monica couldn't really imagine so she just reached out and pulled her older brother into a hug. When they separated said, "I'm sorry. I know this is a mess but Serena is safe with us. I guess maybe we just have to trust in our justice system to work this out."

"Maybe it would be easier for me to trust that if I hadn't spent three years working as a prosecutor in the same office that is prosecuting me now," Scott said.

Monica sensed there was more of a story there, but she also sensed it wasn't one she really wanted to hear at five AM, or in the lobby of the fitness club. Perhaps Scott sensed that as well.

"You probably need to get to the hospital. I just want you to know I appreciate what you're doing for Serena," Scott said and then he started off in the direction of the gym.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Lois Cerullo scrolled through the Head CT on the PAX system in the ED at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. She took a deep breath and then turned to face the EM attending peering over her shoulder. "I don't see a bleed, or an infarct for that matter. Why don't you go ahead and start the Nicardipine Drip and then, if we can get the blood pressure controlled, we can push TPA," she said.

"Don't you need to run that by an attending or something?" Dr. Matthew Palmer asked.

Lois fought the urge to roll her eyes. It wouldn't get her, or more importantly the patient, anywhere. "I spoke with Dr. Ryan while the PAX was down. He was in agreement with TPA providing we can get the blood pressure controlled. I need to go check on a patient in Neuro ICU, I'll be back in fifteen minutes and I'll make the final decision about TPA then," she said.

As she trudged up to the ICU, Lois reflected on the interaction with Dr. Palmer. To be fair, she was only a third-year neurology resident, and thrombolytic therapy was not without real risks; she supposed it was reasonable to make sure that her attending was on board. If any other attending had asked the same question, she would have presumed exactly that. Of course, she had once known Dr. Palmer as just Matt back when he had been the best friend of her fiancé, Dr. Jeremy Kinder. Technically, they probably still were best friends but Jeremy had stopped being her fiancé the second time he had hit her. She had many regrets, about her delay in leaving. Enough regrets that her parents and Sonny both believed that the second time had been the only time.

XXXXXXXX

In the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Port Charles General Hospital, Dr. Monica Quartermaine passed the guidewire through the introducer needle and into the Subclavian Vein which ran beneath the clavicle. Fortunately, the wire fed easily, so she removed the needle and reached for the scalpel and dilator.

"I take it back, Dr. Quartermaine, you can put lines in at shift change if they will always go so smoothly," Betsy Chilson said when she came back into the room as Monica was suturing the line in place.

"I appreciate that, I guess the other option would be come back and do this after I round. My resident this month was on call yesterday so I need to get her through rounds and let her leave as early as possible," Monica offered as she cut the final suture and then started collecting the sharps from her sterile field.

"Betsy, when you give report, make sure your replacement understands that we need to continue monitoring CVP from the line and those readings need to be called to me not to the resident on call," Monica said.

"I will certainly reiterate that. Unfortunately, I believe that Amy Vining is replacing me and, just so you know, she considers your orders mere suggestions."

Monica just shook her head. She knew that all too well.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Karen Baldwin-Cates coiled her stethoscope back into the pocket of her long white coat as she exited her patient's room on 6 North. She had arranged to meet her attending of the month, Dr. Monica Quartermaine, to round at 6:15. She had to be in the Housestaff Lounge by seven o'clock to give changeover to Jake, Eve, and Chris but Dr. Quartermaine had suggested she could just leave a few minutes before seven, she would see some patients on her own and then Karen could join her when she was done. Chris had made a crack about how it must be nice to have your attending of the month also be your Aunt Monica. Joe had pointed out that Dr. Quartermaine had also rounded early for him so he could go home post call. Most of the rest of their group had likely moved on then, but Karen had a feeling Chris still believed that she had some kind of inside track. Karen hadn't had the heart to explain that she had only learned she was a Baldwin her second year in medical school when her mother slipped up and revealed too much after getting drunk on "Christmas Sherry".

"Good Morning, Karen, I ended up having to come in for a STEMI last night around 8:30 so I think I saw all of the new patients after I got done in the cardiac catheterization lab," Monica said as she arrived on the floor.

"You could have paged me, I saw that you started Heparin on Ms. Fisher and transferred her into the stepdown unit. I discussed that admission with Dr. Devlin last night and he felt the patient was really low risk," Karen said. She started to regret the words once they were out though. She didn't want her attending, or her aunt, to think she was trying to blame her mistakes on one of her colleagues.

"I think that Dr. Devlin was more focused on her risks for ischemic coronary disease, which I agree are lower. I was more concerned about a Pulmonary Embolus so I started the Heparin Drip and ordered a VQ Scan for this morning."

"So, I can understand, why are you worried about a PE?"

"The clinical picture from pleuritic chest pain with dyspnea, mild hypoxia, and tachycardia is a pretty classic PE picture in absence of other explanations and I can't find any. If you're taking your boards her EKG also shows the most common finding associated with Pulmonary Embolus."

Karen tried to pull her medical school cardiology lessons back to the forefront of her brain. She remembered an EKG pattern with PE something about S1Q3T3 but honestly, she wasn't sure she had ever seen that before and she really hoped she hadn't missed it the night before. When Dr. Quartermaine or Dr. Rothstein were on call they always preferred the ED physician fax them a copy of the EKG at night so they could review it. Dr. Ford didn't do that but Joe said when he had asked if he could Dr. Ford had said he didn't have a fax but he would just come back in and see the EKG. He had complained about it the next day but at least no one had missed a heart attack so Karen figured it hadn't really been so bad even if Chris had insisted it had basically been career suicide. It was just unfortunate when Dr. Devlin was on call because he would never come in and Karen had a feeling he didn't listen very closely.

"Uh, can you show me that because I don't think I have ever actually seen it before," Karen asked.

Monica smiled and opened a chart from the stack Karen had piled. "Ok, so first you have to remember that the most common PE EKG finding is just sinus tachycardia. Now, if you're thinking about Cor Pulmonale, which can be seen in other cases besides PE, like this patient with Pulmonary Hypertension, then it is S1Q3T3. So, you want a deep S wave in lead 1 like this and then in lead 3 you have a significant Q and then an inverted t-wave," Monica said as she pointed to the different parts of the EKG.

"Ok, I guess it is fortunate I'm not taking my step 3 exam until February. It is also really fortunate that you came in and saw the patient. I'm sorry I missed so much."

"That is why you do residency, Karen. You aren't supposed to know it all coming out of medical school. I know some of your colleagues are convinced they do, but they don't. Even Dr. Devlin and I sometimes need to take a second look at things. Why don't we see the patients on this floor and then you can go meet your colleagues for changeover and I will go on to the stepdown unit and you can join me when you're done. I'm supposed to pick up Kurt and Allison from swim practice at 7:30 so ideally we will be done by then."

Silently Karen took another deep breath and followed her aunt and attending into Priscilla Longsworth's room.


	28. Chapter 25: Sunday Morning Solitude?

Twenty-five-year-old social worker, Maggie Carpenter took her mug of coffee out onto her deck as the sun started to rise over the west bank of the Charles River. Her, technically older by about five minutes, brother Ian had purchased the home for her almost on a whim because it reminded him of the cottage his late mother had always rented for the summer to escape the stifling humidity of Manhattan and the oppressive nature of her husband, Guy Armitage. Technically Eleanor Armitage had also been Maggie's mother, at least biologically, although she had only learned that truth after her father's death, five months earlier. She had been left with so many questions which had never been answered. She was slowly starting to accept that they likely never would. Her relationship with Ian helped some and together they were trying to believe that their parents had done the best they could. Perhaps that was all anyone could do.

In four hours, she was supposed to supervise visitation between former county prosecutor, currently alleged rapist, Scott Baldwin and his five-year-old daughter. The accused's father, who was also his attorney, had somehow managed to avoid the child, his granddaughter, being taken into state custody by having his son sign over guardianship to his younger sister. Apparently, she and her husband, who were both physician pillars of the community, still were on Chapparal County's approved foster list because they had adopted a child in 1995. It was all far too convoluted for Maggie to understand.

XXXXXXXX

At Pine Valley Hospital, Liza Colby Chandler rolled onto her right side away from the early morning light that was starting to spill through the window. The daylight held no hope. Her son was gone.

XXXXXXXX

In her West Side Manhattan apartment, Simone Torres groaned when the phone started to ring again. She had tried letting it go to voicemail but apparently whoever was calling her was persistent. With her eyes only half open she fumbled around for the phone by her bed eventually managed to croak out a half-conscious greeting.

"So much for call me anytime, Carly, I want to be there for you," her best friend Carly Ashton retorted.

Simone rubbed her eyes and forced herself to sit up. "Good grief, Carly, it's like 7:30 AM. You know I'm never conscious by choice before eight AM!" she fired back. But then she added as a guilty afterthought. "What's wrong, is everything ok with the baby?"

"I think so, I have an appointment with Dr. Meadows on Monday. But first, I think I'm expected to go to church with the entire Quartermaine Famdamily, and I have no idea what to wear," Carly wailed.

Simone exhaled and then shook her head. She had almost forgotten how liberal Carly was with her interpretation of an emergency. "So, let me get this straight, you're calling me before eight for fashion advice?" she asked.

Her words were met with silence and for a moment Simone wondered if Carly had hung up, but then she heard muffled sobs.

"Carly, don't cry, seriously God isn't supposed to care what you wear and if the Quartermaines do then obviously they aren't in the right frame of mind for worship," Simone said.

Carly sniffled. "Really," she asked.

Simone hesitated to respond. She was pretty sure that had been something her mother had said after Mary Elizabeth Johnson had mocked Simone's Easter Dress in third grade. At the time the words hadn't exactly made her feel better and she hadn't been to church in years. The reality was that there were plenty of people who spent more time focusing on anything but the message during the service and there were probably at least a few in whatever church the Quartermaines attended so perhaps it wasn't fair to let Carly potentially walk into the Lion's Den unarmed.

"My mother believed that was true. However, in case the Quartermaines worship with some heartless heathens pretending to believe, I'll help you find something to wear. You want trendy, yet tasteful. How much time do we have and what kind of video conferencing options does your husband have set up at home?" Simone asked.

XXXXXXXX

Jason Morgan killed the throttle and parked his motorcycle at the top of the Mt. Kisco overlook. It was amazing how much an early morning bike ride could do to clear his head. His godparents had probably considered the bike an impulse purchase nineteen months earlier, but Jason knew it was one of things which had helped him preserve any sanity he had over the same period.

A lot had changed in his life in two years. Or at least so he was told. Once, before the accident which killed his parents, he had been a Boston PD Detective. He had emerged from the coma with no recollection of that life which basically ended any chance of returning to it. His surviving family, his godparents, the doctors Alan and Monica Quartermaine had arranged for his transfer to a traumatic brain injury rehabilitation unit in their hospital and then brought him into their home. Purportedly he had spent most of his childhood summers there hanging out with his cousin, AJ. He had no recollection of that, the time he had spent attending Port Charles University, or the amazing love his cousin AJ kept insisting he and Keesha Ward shared. His brief time in the Quartermaine Mansion had been tense, stifling, and frustrating. He had stormed out for the final time at the end of March, gotten a room over Jake's Bar, and Sonny Corinthos had given him a job as a favor to the woman he loved like a sister, Lois Cerullo. Less than eighteen months after that fateful day he had ascended to head the Corinthos Organization. The last part had hardly been planned, but it had become reality.

XXXXXXXX

As she descended the back stairs into the Quartermaine kitchen, Brenda Barrett covered several yawns. Mornings had never really been her thing, plus she had been up far too late the night before, studying statistics no less. Surprisingly the kitchen was empty. That was atypical, usually even on Sundays, Edward was downstairs eating breakfast and grumbling about the fact that his cardiologist daughter in law had hidden the salt shaker, some tragedy in the market, and some transgression of one of his children well before eight o'clock. Yet, someone must love her, because she could smell freshly brewed coffee. With a smile she retrieved a mug from the cupboard and fixed her first blissful cup of the day. As she brought the cup over to the breakfast nook her mind brought her back to an earlier day in the same kitchen.

 _July 22, 1996_

 _Brenda Barrett covered a yawn as she walked down the kitchen stairs in the Quartermaine mansion. If morning began later in the day it would certainly be easier to deal with._

 _"But Aunt Brenda promised she would take us," a familiar voice with an uncharacteristic whine floated up the stairs to her. In some ways, it was almost refreshing to hear her nephew Cooper whine because it reinforced that he was nine; not nine going on thirty as she often thought of him. The latter concept was at times more than a little disconcerting since that made him much older than she was._

 _"Oh, Brenda is going to come with us," Brenda heard AJ Quartermaine promise as she descended the final step into the kitchen._

 _Brenda immediately reached for a mug from the cupboard and started pouring coffee. "Where am I coming?"_

 _"We're going to the beach!" nine-year-old Kirk Quartermaine said._

 _"Well, I've got to get to the hospital, you know the earlier you start the first case of the day the less likely the OR schedule will be behind," Dr. Alan Quartermaine said getting up from the table and starting to load his dishes to in the dishwasher._

 _"I should go as well. Dr. Larmon is in the ER today, bless him, but I'm sure it's going to be a long day. Allison, if you want to invite your friend Matt over for dinner, so your father and I can meet him, then we can discuss this party you want to go to," Monica said as she got up from the breakfast nook as well._

 _Thirteen-year-old Allison Quartermaine picked her head up flipping her thick black curls back in the process. "How about tonight?"_

 _"Not tonight, I have cardiology journal club. Dr. Dorman is discussing the new cardiac isoenzyme Troponin I. Let's try for Thursday," Monica suggested._

 _"Yes, that should give grandfather plenty of time to run his background check," AJ joked._

 _"You know cousin Andrea gets to date now and she is only a year older than I am," Allison protested._

 _"Andrea isn't our daughter. Invite your friend to dinner Thursday; I'm not on call so that would be a good night. Monica, shall we ride in together?" Alan asked_

 _Monica appeared, to Brenda, to be slightly uncomfortable at that request but she said, "Sure, I'll just have Pierce give me a ride to Journal Club and he can either bring me home or I suppose I could call you from the Olive Branch."_

 _After the Doctors Quartermaine left the kitchen, Brenda made her way over to the breakfast nook still sipping her coffee and sat down next to her nephew. She reached into the basket of muffins in the center of the table and pulled one out as Alan's nephew Ned came into the kitchen with her goddaughter, almost two-year-old, Brooke Lynn Ashton in his arms._

 _Brooke Lynn was perfectly capable of walking. It was just not something she would do if the other option was being carried by her daddy. To say she was a total daddy's girl was an understatement. In Brenda's mind, that wasn't completely a bad thing; Ned cherished Brooke in a way Brenda knew her own little sister, Breanna, would never be cherished by Harlan._

 _"Why is grandfather sitting alone in the dining room?" Ned asked._

 _"Oh, he's just protesting that we don't eat breakfast there, that mom hid the salt shaker, and there was something else I didn't quite catch," twelve-year-old Emily Bowen-Quartermaine volunteered._

 _Although two-year-old Katelyn was Monica and Alan's youngest child, Emily was technically the newest addition to their family. Emily's mother Paige had died from metastatic breast cancer in November of 1994. Brenda had never known Paige Bowen well as she had died only a few weeks after Brenda had first taken the nanny job at the Quartermaines. It was funny sometimes how quickly things could change. Brenda had gone from having her own servants to nannying to pay for college after her father's newest wife convinced him to dismantle her trust fund. Chronologically the two events had been separated by less than a year._

 _"The lira is losing ground against the rubel," AJ said._

 _"He should be more patient on that, it's probably just a false low," Cooper said in between bites of cereal._

 _Yep we're back at nine going on thirty,_ _Brenda decided._

 _"How?" Ned started to ask but apparently thought better of his question. "Right, you're Julia's son, of course," he said as he handed Brooke to Brenda._

 _"Hi sweetheart," Brenda said wrapping an arm around the little girl. "I thought Lois was back?" Brenda said looking up at Ned._

 _"She is, but I guess she's helping Sonny pack away some of Lily's things. She thought Brooke would be underfoot and quite honestly," Ned said but then he stopped abruptly and seemed to change tactic. "I'm sorry, Brenda, we do completely take advantage of you with babysitting it's not fair. Don't feel like you have to do this I can call my mother," Ned said._

 _"Oh, but, dear, your mother is in court all week. Judge Rosen had some family emergency so she pushed her vacation back to hear his cases," Lila Quartermaine said._

 _"Anyway, I don't think Lois would be too thrilled about your idea, Ned," Brenda said._

 _"No, probably not, but she's going to have to accept at some point that Brooke has two grandmothers and they can both love her."_

 _"Good Luck with that, Ned. But it's fine if Brooke stays with us, we're going to the beach," Brenda said._

 _"In that case you probably don't need an extra child to watch I'm sorry," Ned said._

 _"No, it's ok I'll be there so that's really only one two-year-old a piece," AJ said._

 _"Thanks, AJ. Brenda, I owe you even more," Ned said. He crouched down at Brooke's eye level. "Daddy has to go to work but you're going to play with Katelyn and you're going to be really good for Aunt Brenda and AJ."_

 _"Bye Daddy. I miss you," Brooke said._

 _"I'll miss you too sweetheart," Ned said._

 _"Ned, dear, please see if your grandfather is done with his tantrum and would like a ride to the office. His limo is being serviced. Unfortunately, he was too busy sulking to ask Alan and Monica for a ride," Lila said._

 _"Of course, grandmother," Ned said._

 _Brenda smiled at the exchange. Lila could always make everything come together._

Brenda took another sip of coffee and reflected on how much had changed in less than fifteen months. Dr. Dorman had been revealed as a drug dealing sociopath, the boy Monica and Alan had been wary about Allison dating had died from a drug overdose, Ned and Lois had divorced, and Ned hadn't actually seen the little girl that had once clung to him in over a year.

"Good Morning!" a sweet little voice pulled Brenda from her thoughts and she turned to see that three-year-old Katelyn Quartermaine had entered the kitchen with her mother.

"Good Morning, Brenda, I guess Alan and Emily must still be out running. Lila was taking Chloe on a pre-breakfast tour of the rose garden. Katelyn, I guess that gives us a few minutes to pull this breakfast salad together and then we can go and wake up your cousin Serena," Monica said as she pulled spinach, raspberries, blueberries, and walnuts from the refrigerator.

"Did Edward hear you were making salad for breakfast and decide he would eat elsewhere?" Brenda asked.

Monica laughed as she helped Katelyn wash her hands in the double sink. "Edward is on a conference call regarding Harver Shipping, he is apparently not to be disturbed."

"I see, so is there anything I can do to help?" Brenda asked.

"If you want to wash the berries that would be great," Monica said as she handed a kitchen towel to her daughter and then moved across the kitchen laid a colander and the raspberries and blueberries down by the prep sink in the island.

"I get to grind the walnuts!" Katelyn said cheerily.

Brenda hit the lever to turn the sink faucet on and started to wash the blueberries. Katelyn was so sweet and only about six months younger than her own younger sister who she rarely saw. Sometimes that made Katelyn's sweet moments incredibly bittersweet.

XXXXXXXX

In the Quartermaine rose garden, Chloe Morgan stepped from the inlaid stone path, laid her nose against the coral rose, and inhaled. "Your rose garden rivals the finest color palettes; I always tell my design associates that so much of my inspiration came from my summers in Port Charles and your wonderful roses."

Lila Quartermaine looked up from her wheelchair, "That is so kind of you to say, dear."

"It is true! It was always so wonderful to come up here in the summer when Amy and I were children. I'm very glad Amy has you now. I wish she could have joined us but I guess she is working on something for Deception."

"The Deception Cosmetics annual stockholders meeting is this Friday. Last year Amy practically ran that herself as Ned was still grieving his loss of Lois and Katherine Bell was being Katherine. This year I suspect Ned is a bit distracted with his new bride and Katherine is definitely still Katherine so I doubt she has much more help," Lila said.

Chloe still didn't understand why her sister was running a cosmetics company in the first place. Her aunt's explanation almost made it sound like Amy was doing Ned a favor and perhaps she was but Chloe sensed that there was so much more to the story that Amy wasn't sharing with her.

Lila Quartermaine reached for her hand. "You look troubled, dear, I hope I haven't said anything to upset you."

"No, no, it isn't you, Aunt Lila. Have you ever known that someone you loved was keeping something important from you?"

"When I married Edward, it took a while for us to establish trust. I know most who know us now will presume that was his doing, but truly, it was much more my issue. You never met my first husband, Crane Tolliver. He was not a nice man. He physically abused me so I left him but he wouldn't grant our divorce. Thirty years ago, times were different; some people and even some courts still considered wives property. I met Edward and his brother was an attorney. He helped me get the courts to grant the divorce. Edward and I married but it took a long time for me to really heal from the prior trauma and trust."

"So, Uncle Edward wasn't keeping things from you, you just felt like he was? I don't think I am imagining that I'm being shut out of my sister's life," Chloe said.

Lila gave Chloe's hand a squeeze. "I wasn't implying that our situations were the same, my dear. Rather, I fear that maybe Amy Elizabeth and I might have more in common than she is able to admit."


	29. Chapter 26: Take Me to Church

Scott Baldwin stood with his father in the vestibule of Trinity Episcopal Church over an hour before services began. His father, who had become his attorney, had arranged for them to meet Serena's CPS caseworker before the service.

"How do I explain this to her?" Scott asked. It was mostly a rhetorical question, although Scott supposed if his father had any great thoughts on how he explained to his five-year-old daughter that he was being framed for rape and she wouldn't be able to live with him until he got it straightened out then he would certainly consider them.

"Monica said she did fine overnight and she apparently loved the breakfast salad," his father said.

"Is that the thing she makes with spinach, fruit, nuts, and a little cheese when Edward has been complaining about her heart healthy oatmeal louder than usual?" Scott asked.

"I think so, it is actually quite good," his father said but his words trailed off as a tall woman with short dark brown hair came through the front doors of the church and turned in their direction.

Lee Baldwin took half a step forward and extended his hand. "Are you Ms. Carpenter with Chapparal County Children's Services?" he asked.

"Yes, Mrs. O'Connor told me you arranged with her for your client to attend church services with his daughter and then have a brief visit with her in the church garden. Given the charges, you understand that all needs to be supervised."

Scott scowled silently. As much as he wanted to scream and rant about the injustice of it all he needed to see Serena even more.

"Yes, we understand that. We appreciate you giving up your Sunday morning, and on such short notice."

"My father was an Episcopalian Bishop, I actually briefly considered becoming a nun so attending church is hardly a significant hardship," Maggie Carpenter said.

Scott saw his father smile. He probably saw the random caseworker sharing their faith as a positive. Unfortunately, it was hard for Scott to see any positives in the situation. However, because Serena's wellbeing depended on him convincing this woman that he was not a threat to his own daughter he merely said, "Regardless, I still appreciate this. Serena is only five and she is only now starting to feel comfortable again after the kidnapping. This is going to be hard but I think it will be even harder if we don't have this opportunity now."

XXXXXXXX

In her suite in the East Wing, Brenda Barrett brushed the mascara wand across her lashes, reinserted the wand into the bottle and returned it to the cosmetics tray on her vanity table. She frowned at her reflection and then picked up tube of raspberry blush lipstick by Jacks Cosmetics from the tray. She brought her lips into a pout, relaxed, and then applied color. She had just set the tube down when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," Brenda called as she picked up a hairbrush and started brushing out her dark brown locks. She presumed Alli or Emily needed fashion advice or help with their hair for church. That was one area of nannying she supposed she had always excelled in although typically people didn't expect their nannies to select clothes and do hair for their teens as much as toddlers and other aspects of toddler care had been a bit overwhelming at first.

However, when Brenda glanced over to the doorway, she didn't see Emily or Allison. Instead, their second cousin, Chloe Morgan, was standing just beyond the threshold. At Ned and Carly's reception, Jax had mentioned that Chloe owned her own design label in Milan. Then he had spent the rest of the evening stalking her with his eyes. Brenda suspected he thought he subtle but what he didn't understand was that it wasn't that she didn't notice; it was that she didn't care.

Brenda understood that men like Jax needed a certain type of woman on their arm. She fit that type and in a way as the Spokesmodel for his company she couldn't really say no. Of course, in her current situation she also didn't really want to say no because dating Jasper Jacks gave her something to occupy her mind and gave reporters something else to ask about other than her broken engagement to Michael Corinthos Jr.

"I'm sorry to intrude. Aunt Lila thought you might have a sweater I could borrow. I laid mine on a bench during our walk in the rose garden and it seems to have disappeared. The gardener thought he might have seen some stray dog named Foster with it so Uncle Edward is convinced he has likely turned it to rags by now."

Brenda laughed at the French Mastiff's antics. Foster and Lila Quartermaine's French Briard, Annabelle were the epitome of puppy love both literally and figuratively. For over three years Foster had been running away from the Spencers and coming to see his beloved Annabelle. Edward found it infuriating but most of the rest of the family found him and them entertaining. "Sorry about your sweater. You're welcome to look through my closet," she offered.

"It was hardly the extreme hardship Uncle Edward is making it sound," Chloe said as she took a few steps forward so she was clearly in Brenda's room but didn't venture into the walk-in closet.

"Edward and the Spencers, who own Foster, have had a bit of a contentious relationship over the years. I think Edward uses Foster as a vehicle for his frustration with Luke because he knows Luke will basically just laugh in his face. It is rather ironic if you think about it."

Chloe appeared perplexed. "Why?" she asked.

"Luke and Edward actually share a similar opinion of Foster. He is an annoying nuisance on his good days."

"Maybe that is why he runs away so frequently," Chloe suggested.

"Perhaps, and I get the impression that Luke certainly aided his escape in the beginning. But he comes here because he is in love with Annabelle. Emily's puppy Raoul is their lovechild."

"So, this is just a preview for a few years from now when Emily or Allison want to date Luke's son?" Chloe asked.

"Perhaps, Allison briefly dated Matt Reynolds and I think her parents are still recovering from that."

Chloe smiled. "Ah, yes, our father started finding gray hairs the same year I started dating. Our mother is still trying to convince him it was coincidental rather than causal."

Brenda decided not to explain that most of Alan and Monica's trauma from Allison's first boyfriend stemmed from the fact that he had died from a heroin overdose, with drugs likely supplied by one of Monica's former colleagues. Instead she got up from her vanity set and crossed the room to her closet to retrieve a yellow sweater. "Here, this should go with your dress and you probably will need a sweater because they always over air condition the church from late April to at least mid October," she said as she passed the sweater to Chloe.

As Chloe pulled the sweater on, Emily and Allison appeared together in the doorway. "Don't shoot the messenger, but Grandfather wants to make sure everyone knows that the limo is leaving, with or without stragglers, in ten minutes," Allison said.

Brenda smiled. "I thought I heard bellowing. I guess I was right," she said.

"Merely as a point of information, the bellowing is not another tirade on the importance of Quartermaine punctuality. Grandmother informed him that if Ned comes to Sunday Brunch, he may not ask about some mine in Nevada. Apparently, that is what Ned spent the past week working on with Celia," Emily explained.

"Who is Celia? I thought Ned and Carly just got back from their honeymoon on Friday," Chloe said.

"Celia Quartermaine is Edward's great niece. She and her father, Quentin, are basically running ELQ West. Ned and Carly had to have a working honeymoon because Ned's project meeting with Celia was scheduled further in advance than his wedding to Carly," Brenda said. She had learned quite a bit about the inner workings and even organizational structure of ELQ during the eight months she had dated AJ Quartermaine.

"AJ also thinks it was Ned's way of reminding Grandfather that his marriage is not up for discussion without really pushing the issue by rescheduling any of his ELQ commitments," Allison said.

Brenda hadn't considered that possibility. Although she supposed it was the approach Ned had taken with Lois so perhaps it fit. "Maybe that approach will work better for them than it did for Ned and Lois. For Ned's sake, I guess I hope it does," she said.

"I really miss Lois and Brooke," Emily said wistfully.

"Me too, we should probably go downstairs before Grandfather starts bellowing again," Allison suggested.

As Brenda followed everyone out of her room and downstairs, she thought about how much she also missed Lois. She hadn't seen her since the weekend they had spent in Lois's brownstone after Sonny canceled the wedding. She had tried to get together when Jax had dragged her into the city for some United Nations reception but Lois had claimed she had a day full of meetings on Friday and then was going to be away all weekend. Honestly, it seemed like Lois had been too busy to get together quite a lot over the past year.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton reached for her husband's hand and intertwined their fingers as they started down the sidewalk from their home towards Trinity Episcopal Church. Although she still intended the gesture as one of solidarity much more than romance, she was starting to enjoy Ned's company a little. "So, your whole family goes to church together every Sunday?" she asked.

"Mostly, Alan, Monica, and Ryan get stuck at, or called away to, the hospital sometimes but otherwise, yes. I understand my family can be a little overwhelming on their good days but I meant what I said earlier; I will run as much interference as possible if you just say the word."

Ned's offer sounded genuine and Carly believed it could be. She knew it was largely undeserved; the marriage had been her idea after all. Of course, she supposed it could be argued that most of Ned's kindness towards her was undeserved. "So, this is where our baby will be baptized?" she asked.

Ned's face showed that wasn't exactly the response or question he was anticipating. "If that is what you want. If you wanted to have the baptism at the church we got married in we could do that as well. I feel we need to raise our child in the church but I think that the denomination is less important than giving them a connection to faith and salvation."

 _A connection to faith and salvation? Did Ned have that? Could she ever have that?_ Thoughts tumbled through Carly's mind but when she really thought about it, it didn't sound so bad. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "My mother is more of a lapsed Catholic. I more than tested her faith and honestly, I think the priest only let us get married at Old Dominion because of your generous donation. We can baptize the baby here and I'll do what I can to help you raise him in the church as long as that doesn't mean making him feel less than."

"Was that your experience growing up?" Ned asked.

"Kind of, I wasn't really a good girl," Carly said as they arrived in front of Trinity Episcopal Church.

"I'm sure this church will be different, even if only because the priest doesn't want to offend Edward Quartermaine's granddaughter in law and lose his Quartermaine endowment. My mother will be excited that we live close enough to the church to walk. She always wanted that, or maybe she just always wanted to move out of the trailer park. It was probably that," Carly said. She forced a laugh at the end.

Ned wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her around to face him. He gently brushed his lips across her forehead. "I think maybe you will like Reverend Staunton but I meant it before, if you aren't comfortable in this church, we can find somewhere else to attend," he said.

"I appreciate that," Carly said. The words sounded off hearing them come out of her mouth but they felt more right than anything had in months. Before she had planned to marry Tony and let him believe that the baby was his. She had justified her dishonesty as the best option for her child. Now she was about to let Ned raise a child that they both knew was not his. Somehow things felt very different. At first, she had thought that it was just that the truth was out. But now, she was starting to understand that while Tony had been possessive of the child, Ned was truly committed to parenting. There was a big difference and Carly was starting to believe she really was finally making the right choice for her child.


	30. Questions Answered

I appreciate all of the reviews (even the negative ones—everyone has a right to their opinion). Please feel free to continue asking questions, especially if something doesn't make sense.

Here are some answers to specific questions:

1.) Background on Crossover Characters:

*JR is JR Chandler from AMC. He is the son of Adam Chandler and Dixie Cooney (who was his siblings' Nanny). He was conceived when his father had an affair with Dixie during his marriage to Brooke English. His paternal half-sisters are Skye Chandler (Adam's daughter with Althea Patterson); Hayley Vaughn Chandler Santos (Adam's daughter with the alcoholic Arlene Vaughn. Hayley was in her teens when she realized Adam was her dad); and Anna Claire Chandler (Adam's daughter with Gloria Marsh. She was born prematurely and died in November 1994). Liza Colby Chandler is his stepmother. He met Alison Barrington at summer camp.

*Adam Chandler is in his late 60s. He is a media mogul and owns Chandler Enterprises. He married Liza Colby as part of a plot to make Brooke English and Tad Martin jealous. It didn't work. Adam has a twin brother, Stuart Chandler.

*Liza Colby Chandler is the daughter of the late wealthy Lawrence Colby and Adam's Chandler's newest wife. She is stepmother to JR, Hayley, and Skye . Her claim to infamy was that she lied and said that Jesse Hubbard raped her (and so many racist people believed her because he was black). Eventually the truth came out and she "went away to college". Liza returned to Pine Valley in September 1995 and became the WRCW station manager. She and Adam Chandler married in December 1996 as part of a scheme to make Brooke English and Tad Martin jealous. She has a rather contentious relationship with her mother Marian Colby since her college boyfriend Tad Martin cheated on her with her mother and when her father learned about his wife's infidelity he had a sudden and fatal heart attack.

*Rex Stanton is actually a true canon GH/PC character. He is the brother of Avery Stanton and the Uncle of Katherine Bell, Danielle Ashley, and the late Dominique Baldwin. [To the reviewer who asked this, now that I think of it there is a Rex on OLTL but he is a different character.]

2.) Does Carly's mom think Ned is "the catch of the century"?

Virginia Benson is impressed with Ned Ashton and amazed that her daughter could marry someone so wealthy. I haven't done much with Virginia Benson but she may not have a fatal stroke in early 1998 so I may get a chance to do something.

3.) Did Katherine rape Ned?

Yes, the way I have written this, I would consider that Katherine did rape Ned. I agree with you that given how everything played out with Katherine and Nikolas this does fit. Neither Ned or Lois realize it was rape and Ned believes he committed adultery. I think ( or my muse thinks) that Lois used Ned's infidelity as a way out. They were both hurting so much at that time.

4.) Scott Baldwin the sacrificial lamb at the altar of Luke & Laura?

The whole L&L stuff played out before I was old enough to watch GH but if I look back at it I agree that Scott was really destroyed for L&L. I wonder if the writers were trying to make him so despicable that it almost justified Laura marrying her rapist? I am actually channeling the Scott Baldwin as amazing dad from his PC years in this. I think (although I didn't watch then) that this is actually more in character with his law student/ young lawyer persona.

In my stuff Scott is the older brother (via stepparent adoption) of Monica Baldwin Quartermaine so their very strong brother sister dynamic adds another layer to his character. I think they would probably do almost anything for each other (Alan and Tracy Quartermaine have a similar root approach but their dynamic plays out differently.)

5.) Are Monica and Scott really siblings?

In my stuff Dr. Gail Baldwin adopted Monica Bard when Monica was very young. When she married Lee Baldwin, Lee adopted Monica on her 12th birthday. Monica and Scott grew up together during her tween/teen years and had developed a strong relationship by the time they both graduated from high school in the same year (because as Scott would say Monica was an overachiever).

6.) Doesn't Scott have an alibi for the rape?

Yes, as you pointed out, Scott was with Eve while the rape was supposed to be taking place. That will come out later in the story and will have implications for Scott and Scott & Eve's relationship.

7.) Is Lois actually a doctor?

So, this is probably the most AH aspect of this story. So much else of what I have done has just cleaned up plot holes but this is really a canon departure. Although it may not seem to fit at all, this advances plot later and will have more explanation. For now just go with the fact that Lois is a third year neurology resident at Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. Neurology is a four year residency so if she doesn't get interrupted she should be a board eligible neurologist in June 1999.


	31. Chapter 27: Be Thou My Vision

Maggie Carpenter rose to her feet along with the rest of the Trinity Episcopal Congregation for the closing hymn, "Be Thou My Vision". Her eyes became moist as the organist played the opening chords. She had last heard the hymn at her father's funeral in April.

 _Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;  
naught be all else to me, save that thou art -  
thou my best thought, by day or by night;  
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light._

Dr. Monica Quartermaine glanced across the aisle to the pew occupied by her parents, her brother, her niece, and the Chapparal County Social Worker whose presence allowed Serena to join her father for Sunday worship. She felt the silent vibration of her pager, made eye contact with her husband and then slipped from the pew and made her way out into the narthex to return the page to the hospital.

 _Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;  
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.  
Thou my great Father; thine own may I be,  
thou in me dwelling and I one with thee._

Ned Ashton felt Carly's head drop onto his shoulder and extended his arm to wrap around her shoulders. He wondered how much of Carly's actions were for show and how much was actual vulnerability and the earliest fragment of trust. Their conversation on the walk to church suggested the latter.

 _Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;  
thou mine inheritance, now and always;  
thou and thou only first in my heart,  
high King of heaven, my treasure thou art._

Amy Elizabeth Morgan stood in between her boyfriend and her sister. She supposed that a shared faith was yet another thing to add to the list of reasons she and Craig were such a great match. Or at least Margaret Everett would add that to the list. In contrast, Amy feared that they actually shared very little because she had a hard time reconciling her faith against the reality of evil. Of course, that wasn't anything she was about to mention to the woman who hoped to become her mother in law.

 _High King of heaven, my victory won,  
may I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun!  
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,  
still be my vision, O Ruler of all._

Edward Quartermaine watched as his grandsons, Dylan Albert Quartermaine-Grabler and Kirk Edgar Quartermaine relit, then lifted their torches, and began their part of the coordinated recessional down the two center aisles of the church as the final hymn came to a close. It had been over twenty years since his first grandson, Edward Lawrence Ashton, had been part of the acolyte guild at Trinity Episcopal. He had brought that and the long lineage of Quartermaine acolytes up with Father Staunton and the man had merely reminded him that ritual had value only if it served to reinforce faith and consequent inspired works.

Blind faith had never been Edward's kind of faith. Trust but verify worked much better with his worldview, the way he ran his business, and even the way he tried to raise his children and grandchildren. His early morning conference call had certainly reminded him of the importance of the approach in business. The jury was still out on the method on a more personal level; although he had learned the hard way that it could be misinterpreted as a lack of trust or even as absence of care or love.

The recessional completed, Father Staunton stood at the back of the sanctuary, raised his arm and began to speak. "Go forth into the world this week in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen"

As refrains of amen echoed throughout the sanctuary Edward glanced to his right at his wife. "I'll leave you to invite Ned and Carly to join us for brunch. I need to catch Mark Everett since we canceled the finance committee meeting for this month," he suggested. Then he got up quickly to avoid his wife suggesting that perhaps Ned and Carly needed some time alone as newlyweds.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine disconnected her cellphone in the narthex as parishioners started to walk out past. Apparently, her pulmonary embolus concern had been appropriate because the VQ Scan had been read as high probability.

"Since you're still standing here calmly, I'm guessing that wasn't a STEMI," Alan said when he joined her with Katelyn who had fallen asleep in his arms.

"No, radiology just wanted to let me know that the VQ scan on a patient was high probability, but I had started them on heparin last night when I went in for that STEMI so I just let Dr. Lambert know that the patient does indeed have a pulmonary embolus and it is imperative that the heparin drip remain therapeutic."

"Ok, good, or maybe not good for the patient but probably better than it getting missed and good that you aren't rushing back to the cath lab because father is busy inviting everyone for brunch," Alan said.

"Who is everyone?" Monica asked warily. Sunday Brunch with the Quartermaine extended family was pretty much the norm but she wasn't sure she wanted additional non family guests especially when she was possibly going to need to literally pry her niece away from her father to bring her home.

"Well, Ned and Carly and probably Chloe, Amy, and Craig Everett."

"Ned and Carly are family now and I sort of anticipated that Chloe might join us since she is only in town for a few more days. I can deal with all of those people, I could probably even deal with your father inviting Craig's parents or the Murdochs. I'm just not quite up to dealing with the Farnsworths or the Romeros, especially not with everything so up in the air with Scott and Serena."

"Yes, aside from the obvious one of these days we will have some say in exactly who we entertain in our own home, I know that today is a bit more difficult in general."

"I seem to recall that last year we vowed we would have some control over the guest list for the New Year's Eve Party. I am assigning that task to you, and now I am going to go check on my brother and niece. Could you find your younger son and make sure he put his acolyte robe away properly, please," Monica said as she started across the narthex to the east exit which opened into the church garden in the courtyard.

XXXXXXXX

As Alan started down the marble steps that led to the fellowship hall beneath the sanctuary, he remembered the conversation his wife was referring to. It was one he would always remember, because it was truly the beginning of real hope that they could, and would, get their marriage back on track.

 _December 31, 1996_

 _Dr. Alan Quartermaine hung up the kitchen extension with a sigh after his conversation with one of the unfortunate nurses who had ended up with the New Year's Eve overnight shift in the surgical ICU at Port Charles General Hospital._

 _"Does that sigh mean you are about to abandon me to go back to the hospital or are you just looking forward to another exciting New Year's Eve with the Romeros?" Dr. Monica Quartermaine asked as she arranged canapés on a silver tray._

 _"The good news is that my patient's hematocrit is trending up so it looks promising that I will be kissing you at midnight not scrubbed in an OR at PCGH. The bad news is that not only did Father invite Simon Romero but somehow the Floyds were on the guest list as well," Alan said._

 _"Next year we're going to be less distracted and at least have some say in who comes to a party in our own home," Monica said._

 _Alan raised an eyebrow and then smiled at his wife. "Our home? You're sharing it with me now when did this change?"_

 _Monica sent a stern look in his direction and Alan felt a bit remiss. He could see why his joke had fallen flat. The past few years had been hard on them and their marriage. Six months ago, he had accepted that perhaps he would just never be intimate with his wife again. He'd tried to accept that. She was an excellent mother and an amazing doctor. They could be colleagues and co-parents; it was better for their children and their colleagues if they didn't fight but, honestly, it had been lonely._

 _They had reached a point where their marriage was really in name only. Perhaps Dr. Pierce Dorman had sensed that. Although Alan really suspected the arrogant cardiologist was just brazen enough to not care about the vows that Monica had exchanged with him twenty-one years earlier. Monica had though and she had turned away from Pierce's advances and come home to him. She hadn't gone into details but Alan was afraid that perhaps Pierce had not been as accepting of her declination as she had led him to believe. He sensed that perhaps even a month later he hadn't really accepted that there was no way she would ever allow their relationship to become a sexual one._

 _"When I gave you this house it was a commitment to you and our family. It was with the hope that whatever happened somehow, when the dust cleared, we'd be standing together. Well, I'm not sure the dust is completely cleared and I know some of it has settled in ways we wish were different but I think we're standing together and we weren't really last year at this time so I think this is good."_

 _"Alan, this may be my house, but I hope it will always be_ our _home," Monica said._

 _"And hope springs eternal," Alan said as he took his wife into his arms._

Externally things had certainly deteriorated after their New Year's Eve conversation. Dr. Dorman had continued to harass and stalk Monica. When that had gotten him nowhere, he had attempted to file a sexual harassment claim. Fortunately, the investigating committee hadn't found any evidence of impropriety on Monica's part and the event had convinced Monica to finally agree to pursue a restraining order and press stalking charges. In retaliation, Dr. Dorman had sued the hospital. The court had found for the hospital and awarded Monica additional damages on her countersuit for harassment and slander. Port Charles General Hospital had revoked Dr. Dorman's privileges and they went back to court to renew the restraining order and Alan had started to believe the worst had been over. He had been wrong.

Unfortunately, security had never disabled Dr. Dorman's physician garage access after his privilege revocation. He had been lurking there with a loaded gun when Monica left after her morning cases to go help with the search for her niece who had been abducted from her preschool eight days earlier. Somehow his nephew Ned had been in the right place at a very wrong time and happened to witness the abduction. He called the police and even managed to follow the deranged Dr. Dorman to the Croydon Hotel. Recently returned PCPD Lieutenant Joseph Kelly managed to de-escalate the situation without casualty. Alan owed him and Ned both an immeasurable debt. He couldn't imagine life without his wife. Like everything, healing was a process, but he believed that they were paving their own path.

Katelyn was still fast asleep in his arms when he found his son and nephew in the large closet off of the choir room where the acolyte and choir robes were stored. "Your mother wanted me to make sure you were ok," he said when he joined them.

"We're fine, Chris Floyd needs to learn how to clean up after himself. Apparently, his parents never taught him," Kirk said.

Alan smiled. He supposed it was fitting that his son found Christopher Floyd almost as annoying as he and his wife found his parents. He also could imagine that neither Garrett nor Andrea Floyd had not taught their son simple tasks like hanging up his own acolyte robe because they had both made it clear on multiple occasions that those tasks were beneath them. "Sometimes it takes a village I suppose," he said.

XXXXXXXX

Maggie Carpenter stood at the edge of the church garden while Scott Baldwin sat on a bench with his daughter in the center of the courtyard. She was out of earshot of their conversation but from the visual cues and body language he seemed to be warm and loving and his daughter seemed comfortable with him. It was an intriguing concept but not one Maggie had ever known personally with her own father. She turned as she heard the door from the church atrium open and saw the blond woman who had been pointed out to her by Lee Baldwin as his daughter, Dr. Monica Quartermaine step outside. She had played the piano accompaniment for a flute and trumpet duet her daughters had played during the processional.

"Hi, I am Dr. Monica Quartermaine, I'm Scott's sister and Serena's aunt. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to speak to you earlier. When we put together the music ministry schedule, I had no idea how busy this weekend would be."

Her explanation was logical but almost too logical. Was she trying to express that she knew her brother would be arrested eventually? "Are you trying to say that you aren't really up to fostering your niece at this time?" Maggie asked.

"Of course not, if Serena can't be with her father she should at least be with family! I just meant that if I had known that all this would be happening, we would have chosen a different Sunday to provide processional music. My father thought that you might have some questions for me and then I will join Scott and Serena and pray that the transition is not as traumatic as I'm afraid it will be," Dr. Quartermaine said.

"Why would it be traumatic?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know how much background you were given but Serena's mother died shortly before her birth. My brother has raised her as a single dad. We're a close family but she is very attached to him. Don't misunderstand, I am not criticizing the decision to remove her while Scott is clearing his name, which he will. I understand that you have to make decisions from a global framework and you don't know that Scott could never, and would never, hurt a child. That said, if you've worked with children for any period, you must understand that any removal, even one where the parents might truly be abusive, can be upsetting to a child," Dr. Quartermaine said.

Maggie considered Dr. Quartermaine's explanation. She seemed confident that her brother was innocent but she wasn't defensive or angry. She wasn't sure if that was just more evidence that somewhere subconsciously, she believed he was truly guilty but couldn't face it, or if it was just that her years as a physician had a cultivated a calm, rational, detachment in a crisis. She decided to go with the latter and offer the benefit of the doubt.

Before Maggie could say more, she saw Scott Baldwin stand up and then reach for his daughter's hand. He led her across the courtyard and over to where they stood.

Scott Baldwin knelt down in front of his daughter. "I love you so much and I am going to miss you but you will be safe and loved with your aunt and uncle and all of your cool cousins."

"I will miss you more, daddy," Serena said.

The stoic smile on Serena's little face tugged at Maggie's heart. For half a second, she wondered if perhaps the Baldwins assertion that it was all a mistake actually had some merit.

"Bye applesauce," Scott said.

Serena flung her arms around her father. Quiet sobs seemed to emanate from the embrace. For a few minutes Scott hugged her and rubbed her back and then he picked her up, handed her to his sister, and quietly started back into the church.

Dr. Quartermaine wrapped the child in her arms. "I'm sorry, Serena, we're going to get this all straightened out, I promise. But in the meantime, Uncle Alan and I are here for you. Now, we should go home, and after brunch we're going to go on a hike at the state park. Doesn't that sound fun?" she whispered.

Serena picked her head up slightly from her aunt's shoulder and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "You really promise?" she asked.

"Yes, I really promise, we aren't going to stop until you and your dad are back together," Dr. Quartermaine said.

Maggie tensed at Dr. Quartermaine's words. She didn't think anyone should promise reunification to a child. It seemed extremely unlikely if one considered that Serena's father had been with charged a Class B Violent felony. If convicted he could easily be in prison long past when Serena might have grown up, married, and even had her own children. Of course, she supposed all people, even accused child rapists, were innocent until proven guilty. Maybe Scott Baldwin really was innocent; Maggie decided for Serena's sake she hoped he was.


	32. Chapter 28: Those Little Things We Hide

October 6, 1997

Jasper Jacks hung up the phone from his six o'clock wakeup call in his Penthouse Suite at the Port Charles Hotel and climbed out of bed. When he had renewed the lease in April the Quartermaines had tacked on a thirty percent monthly rate increase. His accountant had been aghast; he had felt the original lease terms had been beyond exorbitant. In contrast, Jax had merely signed the agreement and updated his credit card information. He liked the amenities and the convenience of living in a luxury hotel.

He was on his way to the shower when his cell phone rang. The early morning call hardly surprised him; his elder brother Jerry was in Jakarta which was eleven hours ahead of New York time.

"Hey, Baby brother," Jerry's voice boomed through the phone.

"Jerry, I'm going to be thirty next month. I think it's past time to retire this baby brother thing."

"We'll see about that. So how is life as a makeup mogul?"

"Jacks Cosmetics profits are up 10% for the 3rd quarter."

"Which hardly helps since the Quartermaines discovered you were about to raid Deceptions and pulled that into Subsidiary status under ELQ Diversified."

"That was the plan all along. Eventually I will be able to use my Deceptions Stock to broker a downstream merger of ELQ," Jax said.

"If you say so," Jerry said.

"Is there a reason for this call?" Jax asked.

"I just had an interesting meeting with Stefan Cassadine. He has an actual plan for taking over ELQ. He thinks your downstream merger is futile at best; at least with a cosmetics company," Jerry said.

"Regardless, there is no way Dad would allow you to get involved with the Cassadine Family again. In case you have forgotten, our last joint venture resulted in a significant financial loss for J&J Incorporated and the death of my wife," Jax said.

"You agreed that we needed to cut our losses," Jerry said.

Jax supposed he had agreed with the plan to blow up the mine and use the insurance payout to recoup some of their losses from the failed Cassadine partnership and fund their diversifying into Alaska. He just hadn't imagined his wife would get caught in the explosion. In the past he hadn't been able to handle knowing if his father or brother had known that would happen. There were many questions he had never let himself consider. But, suddenly, he felt braver than he had in years.

"I didn't intend for my wife to be collateral damage," Jax said.

"Listen, baby brother, dad and I feel horrible about all of that. If we had known that Mac Scorpio was such an incompetent drongo we would have never hired him," Jerry said.

Jax had heard those words before. None of it made it alright and he just couldn't go back there again. "Whatever, talk to dad about the Cassadine proposal. Don't bother wasting any more of my time until he signs off on it, which I guarantee you he won't. G'day!" he said. He disconnected the call before Jerry had a chance to say more and then he made his way into the shower. He had a busy day and had just added an additional item to the agenda, an important lunch meeting in Brooklyn.

XXXXXXXX

Detective Alex Garcia released another frustrated sigh as he paged through the reports from the crime lab. "Have you found anything helpful?" he finally asked.

"What do you mean by helpful?" his partner Detective Allison Jordan asked.

"How about anything which corroborates the victim's statement?"

"If the rape kit hadn't shown traces of semen, I would start to question if the whole event was just part of a bad trip. Her blood alcohol level was 0.12 and her toxicology screen was positive for cocaine and ecstasy. Any of the three could cause her to be a bit confused about reality. The crime scene techs didn't find any evidence that the crime happened at the firm. They picked up the victim's prints but mostly around her own desk. They did not pick up any body fluids and if they really had intercourse on Mr. Baldwin's desk, as she states, then you would expect something to light up," Allison said.

"Yes, and from what I understand from the crime scene guys Baldwin, Jordan, & Baldwin security footage shows her leaving the firm around 4:30. PCGH security footage shows a car pulling up and dropping her off around 10:30. They haven't been able to track the plate yet."

"Yes, and that also refutes her statement that she was forced to stay late and that she never left until after Scott left around 10:00 and then she walked to the hospital. To further bolster the case, Scott Baldwin's DNA is not a match for that from the semen found during the rape kit. So, she may have been raped but I think it is unlikely that she is correct about her rapist or the location. What I'm not sure of is whether she is blatantly lying or whether she truly believes it all happened the way she says. I probably need to go back and talk to her again, I guess I'm just dreading that. Maybe you should take a stab at that instead"

"Uhh, sure, but then confirming Scott Baldwin's alibi is all you. Have fun with that since he refuses to disclose the name of the woman he was supposedly eating Eli's ribs with at the Mt. Kisco overlook."

"I'm guessing it is the same woman he picked up from the main lobby of PCGH around seven o'clock. Hospital security identified her as one of the interns, Dr. Evelyn Lambert. So, I guess we can head over to the hospital, I can talk to Dr. Lambert and you can try to see if Tiffany Peterson has a different story now that she is sober."

"I can hardly wait," Alex said but he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and followed his partner to the elevator.

XXXXXXXX

 _No wonder she is so fit, she always takes the stairs!_ Port Charles General Hospital Pediatrics Nurse Manager, Grace Benton, lamented when she saw Dr. Monica Quartermaine emerge from the stairwell to the fifth-floor pediatrics unit just before eight AM.

"Are you on service this week?" she asked. She had thought they had another week of Dr. Gary Lansing but perhaps they had been granted an early reprieve. She would certainly relish that.

"Do you mean for inpatient pediatrics? No, this is Dr. Lansing's block. I'm supposed to see a cardiology consult for him? Did you get Audra Longsworth from the Emergency Department, she is supposed to be a four-year-old with chest pain."

Grace resisted the urge to laugh. Dr. Lansing was always complaining that his wife thought he was a moron because he was a pediatrician. Grace frequently understood where Dr. Gina Dante-Lansing was coming from. "Please tell me he doesn't think the child is having a heart attack?"

"She is febrile and to be fair, just from the information I was able to pry out of Dr. Larmon, both myocarditis and Kawasaki Syndrome are probably in the differential. My echo tech is supposed to be on her way upstairs but if it looks like Kawasaki we may need to do an IVIG infusion," Dr. Quartermaine said.

"Your patient is in 506. Alysha is in there now doing the admission. I presume you want telemetry if you think we may be doing IVIG."

"Yes, telemetry would be helpful. I guess Dr. Larmon misunderstood me when I recommended it."

"No problem, I will bring a tele pack back to Alysha in a moment," Grace offered.

"Thank you," Dr. Quartermaine said as she started down the far hallway.

Grace turned towards the supply cabinet feeling a bit chagrinned. Perhaps Dr. Lansing was finally onto something. Or maybe it was just like Dr. London suggested that even a broken clock could show the correct time twice a day.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Eve Lambert covered at least the tenth yawn as she wrote orders. She had literally not gotten any sleep the night before, which had probably been her worst call since starting internship. Of course, she supposed it could be worse. It could always be worse. She could have trained back in the eighties before there were work hour restrictions on residents in New York state. Long lived the legacy of Libby Zion and the Bell Commission. On that note, since call had started at 7 AM the thirty-hour clock which Chris was always tracking would expire for her at 1 PM and she could finally get some sleep.

"That is Dr. Lambert right over there," a loud brusque voice interrupted Eve's thought. She looked up to see the charge nurse Epiphany Johnson talking to a woman with long red hair dressed in a pants suit.

Eve fervently hoped that the woman talking to Epiphany wasn't the granddaughter of the cantankerous misogynistic gentleman she had admitted the night before. Although from the way he spoke about his daughters and his grandchildren she doubted any of them would deign to visit him. With that thought, she took a few steps forward and extended her hand to the woman. "Yes, I am Dr. Evelyn Lambert, one of the interns," she said.

"Thank you, I am Allison Jordan, a detective with the Port Charles Police Department. I had a few questions that relate to an open investigation, is there somewhere we could speak privately?"

Eve internally debated her next move. In almost twenty-five years of life, she had more encounters with the police under her belt than she could even remember. She had grown up in rough neighborhoods first in Moriches then in the Bronx. In some of those cases, the police encounter had been more traumatic than the crime. Then there were the events at the end of her second year of medical school. There were so many reasons to be wary of a few seemingly innocent questions from the police police interview but then there was the issue that acknowledging that might shatter the façade she needed to survive internship. With some trepidation, Eve released a sigh and said, "Sure, there is a conference room over here."

Once they were behind the closed door of the conference room on 4 North, Eve attempted to project both confidence and indifference. "Ok, let's make this as efficient as possible. I'm post call and I need to round with Dr. Phillips at nine o'clock," she said.

"Of course, I only have a few questions. But before I begin, when is the last time you spoke with Scott Baldwin?"

Eve's stomach lurched involuntarily. _Had something happened to Scott?_ "We had dinner Friday evening and he dropped me off at my place around eleven on Friday night. I haven't spoken to him since then, but I was on call yesterday. Is he alright?" she asked.

Detective Jordan's facial expression changed but the significance of that was lost on Eve. "I am sure he is physically fine. I just needed to corroborate an alibi. So, Scott Baldwin picked you up at the hospital around seven PM and you were with him the entire time until eleven, is that correct?"

"Scott used me as his alibi?" Eve asked.

"He didn't volunteer the name of his date, actually he refused to give it when Detective Garcia tried to clarify but we pulled the security footage from the hospital for other reasons and we saw you leaving the main lobby with Scott so I figured I would start here."

"I see, so umm, what is Scott supposed to have done?" Eve asked.

"I can't really comment on an active open investigation."

"How convenient, well, in that case, are we done?" Eve asked.

"At least for now. I will have transcription type up what you just told me and then you will need to sign it. Are you able to stop by the PCPD sometime tomorrow afternoon or should I bring it by for you to sign on Wednesday morning?" Detective Jordan asked.

"I can stop down and sign it. But it will have to be some time after five or even six," Eve said. She decided the less that police detectives were nosing around her at the hospital the better.

"That is fine. My partner and I should both be in until seven pm tomorrow. If you just check in with the desk on the fourth floor, they can direct you. Thank you for your time, Dr. Lambert."

After Detective Jordan left, Eve took a moment to collect herself. She wasn't sure what to make of Scott refusing to identify her as the woman he was with. _Was he ashamed to be seen with her? Was he trying to protect her? Was he truly guilty of whatever the PCPD was trying to pin on him?_


	33. Chapter 29: Lunch Liasons

Ned Ashton opened the door to The Recovery Room for his wife and noticed that his cousins, Chloe and Amy Morgan, were seated at a table by the west wall.

"See, Ned is playing hooky too," Chloe's voice floated across the room.

"Ned is exercising some flex time, since Carly had a doctor's appointment, and since I got an early start thanks to a 7:30 conference call."

"Isn't that just one of the joys of being executive vice president for an US based international conglomerate?" Chloe asked.

"That is what they tell me," Ned said. He punctuated his words with a forced laugh. He wondered if Chloe realized how hollow it felt. He hoped she didn't.

"Why don't you join us? We haven't ordered yet," Chloe offered.

Ned glanced towards Carly warily. He was afraid she had probably had more than enough of his family after Sunday Brunch at Monica's. It was Quartermaine tradition but Ned understood how it could be exhausting and overwhelming for those who hadn't grown up in the family. Frankly, he found it tiring at times himself.

"That sounds lovely," Carly said as she took a step forward and pulled out the chair next to Chloe."

His wife's move surprised him. Of course, maybe that was the point. After all, Carly had been the one to tell him that part of her charm was to always keep people guessing. That had been the night he had gone looking for Jason after the Warehouse Fire and found Carly in his room at Jake's.

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett finished pouring Katelyn's milk and then placed the jug back in the refrigerator. She crossed over to the breakfast nook where she set down Katelyn's milk and then sat down across from her young charge. Lila was attending a lunch time meeting of the PCGH Auxiliary so it was just her and Katelyn for lunch. As they ate Katelyn chattered away about swimming and her cousin Serena's extended sleepover.

Brenda decided if she was fortunate Katelyn would be tired out from her morning swimming lesson and would nap and allow her to get in more studying for her statistics exam. She was contemplating that when an excited squeal invaded her thoughts.

"AJ!" Katelyn squealed.

"Hey Katelyn, how was swimming?"

"Great! I swam from one end of the pool to the other without stopping. I might get to do the real swim team like Alli and Kirk soon."

"Good Job! How would you like to go apple picking after lunch?" AJ asked.

"Yes!"

"Ok, then finish up your lunch so we can go meet Keesha at Ward House and then we'll go over to Carter's Orchard with the rest of the kids," AJ said.

Brenda met AJ's eyes above Katelyn's head. She had a pretty good idea what he was doing but she was desperate enough for study time that she decided to just go with it.

XXXXXXXX

When Jasper Jacks opened the door to Bensonhurst Records, the silence surprised him. Silence was not a word he associated with Lois Cerullo or really anything she touched. He found that spark of life invigorating. Julia had that same spark, although she kept hers more cloaked.

A young woman with dark hair and dark eyes looked up from filing her nails. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I am here to see Lois Cerullo."

Dark eyes raised with incredulity, "Who?" she asked.

"Lois Cerullo, your boss," Jax asserted.

"I think you are mistaken. I was hired by Tucker McCall," the young woman said as she picked up the phone on her desk.

While the woman in front of him mumbled words he couldn't quite understand into the phone, Jax realized that it was possible Lois would sell her music label. It seemed highly unlikely though. She had basically walked away from any claim to the Quartermaine fortune in exchange for Ned's equity share of Bensonhurst records and full custody of their daughter. Why would she go through all of that to sell less than a year after their divorce had finalized?

They were joined by a man likely in his mid-forties with sandy brown hair. Although he was dressed in a three-piece suit, his features were rugged and he had a scar across his right cheek. "I am Tucker McCall, the managing producer of Bensonhurst Records, Ms. Cerullo won't be back in the office until next week, but perhaps I can help you in the interim," he said.

"I find that unlikely, I'll just reach out to Ms. Cerullo directly," Jax said and then he turned and exited before anyone could verify his identity. That left him the option to surprise Lois at home later.

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett rinsed and loaded her and Katelyn's lunch dishes into one dishwasher while AJ unloaded and put away the dishwasher full of dishes from breakfast. As was typical, AJ had given her the easier job. "I owe you for this, so, thanks," she said as she closed the dishwasher.

"You owe me for putting away the breakfast dishes? Don't tell my mother that, she's had a rough past few days and she likes to believe that she raised me with a much more egalitarian perspective on household chores."

Brenda laughed. "No, I meant for taking Katelyn this afternoon. I am still so unprepared for this exam in Statistics."

"Are you taking Stats 301? I took that last year with Professor Mason. He tells everyone that at least two of the ten questions will come from an old exam. I think he thinks if you go through all his old exams you're actually working through a ton of problems and must be learning something which is kind of the point."

"They're supposed to be in the library but someone has had them signed out since last week, so, yeah, not exactly an option for me."

"There is also an old test file at Delta Tau Delta. We have a house meeting tonight anyway so I can grab copies for you."

"Really?"

"Sure, the meeting probably won't be over until nine though so how about if I drop them off sometime around 6:30 and then head to the meeting. That may work better anyway because I think I am going to stay in my room at the fraternity house tonight," AJ offered.

"Wow, thanks! I'm going to go up and see how Katelyn is doing with changing into the jeans I laid out so she can go with you."

"Thank you, and for the record, although I completely don't mind giving you some extra time to study, I really did invite Katelyn because I thought she would love to come. I'm a lot busier with school, student teaching, et cetera, this year so I haven't had as much time for her and I'm trying to rectify that."

"You're a good big brother," Brenda said as she turned to start up the kitchen stairs to the East Wing.

XXXXXXXX

"Aunt Lila tells me you also know our other cousin, Jason Morgan, very well. Is that how you and Ned met?" Chloe Morgan asked before she took another bite of her Cobb Salad.

Carly's face flushed a little. She seemed to drag out chewing the bite of her cheeseburger, conveniently sparing herself from answering.

"Technically, I think we originally met at the Nurses' Ball. It seems that the newest PCGH volunteers always end up being Lucy Coe's assistant for the Nurses Ball," Ned joked.

Carly smiled at her husband but, at least from Chloe's perspective, the smile seemed a bit more forced than genuine.

"However, we really didn't have our first significant conversation until five months after that when we both helped serve at the Charles Street Community Thanksgiving held at Ward House," Ned said.

"Yes, we debated cranberry jelly versus cranberry relish as a Thanksgiving staple," Carly said.

"You did?" Chloe asked. She could not understand why anyone would voluntarily eat that congealed cranberry mess from a can.

"To be fair, Carly has never tried Grandmother's Cranberry Relish. I am confident that we will have another convert to the relish camp after this Thanksgiving," Ned said.

"Also, to be fair, I never said I liked that cranberry stuff from the can, I merely told Ned it had graced my family's thanksgiving table for years," Carly said.

Chloe laughed. "So, you grew up in Florida, what brought you here to Port Charles? Did you move for school?" she asked.

"Perhaps this will sound silly, but I grew up in Florida which is pretty much oppressive heat most of the time. I really wanted to experience the four seasons so I started looking for physical therapy aide positions in the northeast. PCGH advertised that employees got a credit towards tuition at PCU so I thought maybe that would be a good option," Carly said.

"I don't think it sounds silly. It is incredibly resourceful. Have you decided what you want to major in at PCU?" Chloe asked.

"Well I did a year of nursing and unfortunately I mostly learned that nursing is not my calling," Carly said. She punctuated her words with a laugh but once again Chloe found it more forced than free.

"Maybe you're too hard on yourself. Or maybe your talents and passions really do lie elsewhere and you'll figure that out. Just give yourself a chance. Give yourself some time," Chloe said.

"That is what I keep telling her. It is important to hold yourself accountable but sometimes it is equally important to cut yourself some slack," Ned said.

Carly met Ned's eyes and smiled. For the first time, Chloe sensed the smile was genuine.


	34. Chapter 30: Scheming in the Dark

Dr. Lois Cerullo felt uneasy, as if someone was watching her, when she hit the button on her key fob to lock her car in front of her house on 82nd Street. It was almost seven o'clock and basically dark except for the streetlights. She chided herself for her false fear as she took a few steps up the sidewalk. She was just over tired and her mind was playing tricks on her. It had been a really long day at the hospital after all. Then she saw him and screamed.

"It's just me, Lois, it's just me," Jax said in a voice Lois was sure he intended to be soothing but was more grating than anything.

"What are you doing here?" Lois asked afraid she knew the answer.

"I had a meeting with a new attorney in the city. I thought maybe we could have dinner before I head back to Port Charles," Jax said.

"Today is not a good day, Jax. Ma has a meeting at church at 7:30 and I need to get Brooke Lynn to bed because she has preschool on Tuesdays."

"Are you ok?" Jax asked.

"I'm fine. Like I said, it's been a long day and I really just need to get Brookie to bed."

"I went by your studio earlier," Jax said.

That revelation bothered Lois for several reasons. There was no reason for it. She had made it perfectly clear to Jax over a year ago, and then multiple times after, that she was not romantically interested in him. Somehow, he had deluded himself into believing that her divorce from Ned was a sign that she was meant to be with him. It wasn't and it was past time that Jax grasped reality and stopped pursuing her. However, Lois doubted that he had shared his visit to her studio to admit to a new level of stalking but rather as an opener for her to tell him where she had been all day. She had no interest in doing that and it was really none of his business.

"Goodnight, Jax," Lois said before she turned and started up the steps of her front porch.

XXXXXXXX

Rex Stanton left the Port Charles Savings & Trust on the Courthouse Square with a briefcase. Cash was his preferred commodity for untraceable transactions. He had learned the hard way that withdrawn cash had variable levels of traceability depending on financial institution. Thus, he kept a supply of cash in his safety deposit box for those occasions where discretion and privacy were a high priority. His meeting with Mark Carlin qualified as one of those occasions. Of course, first he needed to meet Lucy Coe for dinner at the Port Charles Grille. Making her feel loved and appreciated was critical to the next part of his plan.

XXXXXXXX

Jasper Jacks found himself still perseverating over his brief encounter with Lois while he awaited his plane to fuel. He hated the way she had simply dismissed him. Women didn't do that! Or at least most women didn't do that. Lois had dismissed him before with a similar excuse, that she had to get her daughter to bed.

 _September 5, 1996_

 _"_ _Jax, as scintillating as this conversation is, we're going to have to agree to disagree. Value judgments have no place in determining who should have access to healthcare. Anyway, I need to get my child to sleep," Lois Cerullo said with a quick roll of her eyes. She stood up from the couch and started tossing the multitude of toys, which her two-year-old daughter had strewn all over the living room while they had talked, into a basket._

 _"_ _Of course, I'll just wait here while you get her down," Jax said._

 _Lois laughed. "Excuse you! It is possible to overstay your welcome, you know. It is also past time for you to leave."_

She had stalked her way to her own front door, opened it, and then stood by her open front door until he had shamefully filed out. At the time he had thought he had hit a nerve by suggesting that he had some qualms about offering HIV treatment to those who had acquired the disease through intravenous drug use. Over a year later he wasn't quite sure what to think. The one thing he was sure of was that she was hiding something. Exactly what he wasn't sure; but he suddenly was desperate for information. He pulled out his cellular phone and connected to his private investigator.

XXXXXXXX

As she enjoyed her Shrimp Scampi at the Port Charles Grille, Lucy Coe contemplated her relationship with Rex Stanton. She still was rather curious about his actual net worth. He had been rather vague about the topic; of course, in her experience the really wealthy guys she had been involved with in the past, namely Dr. Alan Quartermaine and Scott Baldwin, had never mentioned their millions so that didn't necessarily mean anything. Lucy was pretty sure they would both argue that the money didn't matter. For them, perhaps it didn't.

For Lucy, who had grown up on the edge of poverty with alcoholic parents, money and social status were hard to overlook. Her Aunt Charlene thought that was what had drawn her to Alan Quartermaine back when he was just a third-year medical student. She had challenged that she longed to be Mrs. Quartermaine much more than she had any true affection for Alan himself. Perhaps Alan had sensed that because after an essentially celibate summer fling with Lucy he had returned to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and thrown himself into his studies. By the next summer he was applying to surgery residencies and dating Cornell first year medical student, Monica Baldwin. Ultimately, they married right before Christmas in 1975 when he was a second-year surgery resident at Port Charles General Hospital and Monica was a fourth-year medical student. For years Lucy considered him the one who got away.

She spent the first decade of Monica and Alan's marriage comparing all potential suitors to the legendary Dr. Alan Quartermaine, a man her Aunt Charlene challenged that she barely knew. In late 1985 she applied for a job in the medical library at PCGH intending to turn the one who got away into the only one. She had considered it kismet when she bumped into Alan at the hospital after her interview. He had been inviting a colleague to a New Year's Eve Party at his mansion when she walked up so she had considered that an invitation in itself.

 _December 31, 1985_

 _Lucy Coe had seen impressive homes before but the Quartermaine mansion seemed to be on a different level entirely. She turned from Lilac Avenue and drove through the open wrought iron gates. The inlaid stone driveway was lined on both sides with luminaries which set the perfect tone for a festive evening. As a large brick colonial came into view Lucy was directed to a front drive where a hired valet took her keys. As she made her way to the marble front porch adorned with poinsettias she reflected on the local scuttlebutt regarding the mansion._

 _Apparently, Dr. Alan Quartermaine had surprised his wife with her dream home just before she headed to University of Pennsylvania for Cardiology fellowship in 1980. For a year Alan had lived in the house with his three-year-old son, Alan James. Then he had also ventured to University of Pennsylvania for a Pediatric Surgery fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. For a few years the gorgeous mansion had essentially been their vacation and holiday home. Then in June of 1983, Alan had returned with his children, AJ and Allison, but not his wife who apparently had two more years of interventional fellowship. Different people had different opinions on that. Lorena Barrington, who Lucy got the impression was one of Monica's friends, felt that it was only reasonable that Alan support his wife and her career. Madeline Richmond on the other hand definitely felt that Monica had been shirking her wifely duties. She personally had respected her husband's career enough to not try to undermine and she highly doubted that Alan and Monica's marriage would last long term. The last part had definitely made Lucy optimistic. Although she had told her Aunt Charlene that she had finally understood the point of family she truly had returned to Port Charles for one final chance with Dr. Alan Quartermaine._

 _When Lucy finally stepped into the front foyer, she found herself face to face with Dr. Monica_ _Quartermaine. Dressed in sparkly silver evening gown and a natural smile Monica appeared every bit the gracious host. "Good evening, Lucy, welcome to our home," she said._

 _"_ _Ah, yes, I so enjoyed catching up with Alan at the hospital. He insisted I must come tonight," Lucy said._

 _Monica's smile didn't fade. "Unfortunately, Alan has already been called back to the hospital. New Years is such a bad night for trauma. I will be sure to pass on your regards."_

 _Lucy didn't have a response so she just nodded and made her way into the ballroom. She heard Monica laughing with her friend Lorena and she feared they were laughing at her._

The evening had been, in a word, miserable. Lucy basically knew no one at the party. Dr. Alan Quartermaine had returned from the hospital in time to give his wife quite the kiss at midnight but ignored Lucy after Monica had brought him over to say hello. Plus, as the icing on the cake, that party had also been where Lucy had met Dr. Kevin O'Connor who she blamed for at least fifty percent of her criminal record. If she had never met Dr. O'Connor, she certainly would have never had an affair with him, never perjured herself to give him an alibi, and never been considered an essential piranha. Her piranha status had made her the first suspect in Ted Holmes and Sheriff Broder's suspicious deaths. She had only sent death threats to Dr. Patrick O'Connor and his girlfriend Terri in an effort to get the cops to take her seriously. It hadn't worked; she had been charged with harassment and it had only gotten worse from there. Over a decade later Lucy completely regretted her creative interpretation of an invitation.

"So, tell me how your new designs are coming," Rex asked pulling Lucy from her unpleasant thoughts.

Lucy smiled. _Her designs were her favorite thing to talk about, but it wasn't just that, it was that Rex must have sensed her aura had changed and understood the need to reverse that for her. Kevin had never grasped that concept!_ "I'm working on this gown for fashion week! Velvet is so in right now so velvet and flowing but strapless with a fitted bodice," she said.

"That sounds gorgeous, I cannot wait to see it. I will talk to the travel agent tomorrow about making our flight arrangements for Fashion Week. Don't worry, first class all the way and it is my treat. Just consider it a little more investment in my favorite label."

Lucy realized she couldn't remember the last time Kevin had been excited about her designs. She also couldn't remember Kevin ever supporting her financially. Of course, even before he lost his medical license, Kevin hadn't had money not really. He might have technically been a physician but it wasn't like he was a trauma surgeon, or a neurosurgeon. When they had been together, Lucy had tried to convince herself that the money didn't matter because Kevin loved her.

Even after Kevin had kidnapped Felicia Jones, she had stood by him. She had spent thousands upon thousands on his defense and he had eventually agreed to a plea deal, because, he was, in a word, guilty! But somehow, she had accepted that. She had accepted a lot until their baby had died.

"You look so alluring when you contemplate designs, but please tell me more," Rex said.

Again, he pulled her from the unpleasant thoughts! "Bright colors are also very on point this season. I am working on a very bright orange and fuschia floral gown. It was more of a sari style which is definitely going to be the thing for 1998!"

"I can't imagine, I will have to see it!"

"Yes, you will! Perhaps you could come out to Temptations tomorrow and then we can get lunch. There is a new Portuguese place, over by PCU, I have been meaning to check out."

"I have several important conference calls tomorrow, but I will certainly try," Rex said. His words were followed immediately by the chirp of his cell phone as if to emphasize his point. "I am sorry, I think this is my niece Danielle. I really need to take this. She has been having some problems with her fiancé," Rex said as he stepped away from the table.

Just as Rex left, Lucy saw the ever-annoying Katherine Bell enter the restaurant with Nikolas Cassadine. As the maître d' led them to their table, Lucy tried to get back into her happy place, and failed. _Katherine really knew how to kill a mood._

XXXXXXXX

Katherine Bell regarded her dinner companion carefully. She had originally met when Nikolas when he was volunteering at PCGH and she was dropping off a generous donation from Deceptions to fund a new Pediatrics Playroom. She had enjoyed his attention and decided to participate in the design process herself. At the time she had never imagined that their friendship would be a perfect set up for dating his Uncle Stefan, but it was.

"I'm surprised you turned down a trip to Greece, Nikolas," Katherine said.

"If you are referring to my Uncle's trip, I do not believe that I was ever invited."

Nikolas's tone was so dry. Some considered him aloof but Katherine knew it was a testament to his cultured upbringing.

"Perhaps I misunderstood. Does Stefan go often to check on the holdings in Greece?"

"Cassadine Enterprises is a multinational corporation so significant international travel is necessary," Nikolas said.

"Of course," Katherine said quickly.

XXXXXXXX

As he sat at a table in the River Rat, Rex felt slightly, but only slightly, badly about the half-truth he had spun for Lucy. She believed he was going to help Danielle with some crisis rather than meeting the less than punctual Mark Carlin in a bar.

Mark Carlin's claim to fame was breaking the Evan Jerome murder case over a decade earlier. Unfortunately, his fame quickly turned to infamy. His editors hadn't been impressed with the way he had exploited the real victim in the case, Camellia McKay. Purportedly Evan Jerome had been in the act of raping her when she had struck him over the head with a candlestick in self-defense. The charges had been dismissed and the Port Charles Herald fired him for lack of journalistic integrity.

Fifteen minutes after the agreed meeting time, Mark Carlin finally slunk into the River Rat looking ragged, hungover, and unshaved. He dropped into the chair across from Rex. "Ok, what do you have for me?" he asked.

"First things first, we did not meet, we do not know each other, and if I ever hear that you have suggested otherwise, I will go to the Llanview PD with evidence that you helped cover up Guy Armitage's murder," Rex said calmly.

Carlin's face showed anger. "I had nothing to do with his death!"

"Directly, no, but you failed to report and you benefited from your crime. You don't want anyone looking into where you got the money to start your paper. Then, if you're lucky you will go to prison; because that is clearly the safer option that having Todd Manning feel you crossed him."

"Ok, fine what do you want?" Carlin asked.

"Your rag seems to basically devote an entire issue to a scandalous expose. I have a subject for your next one, Scott Baldwin. The former prosecutor has more than a few skeletons in his closet and he has just been charged with rape 1. The Port Charles Herald won't touch this unless he is convicted but the public deserves to know the truth. There is a briefcase under the table with some information to get you started and some money to cover your costs and then some. If you do a good job there can be more where that came from.

Carlin didn't speak. He merely picked up the briefcase and left the bar.


	35. Chapter 31: Kindness Matters

October 7, 1997

Brenda Barrett exhaled as she flipped back through her statistics exam. Amazingly she had solved all the problems. Or at least she had answers. Her older sister would point out that solving involved having correct answers or workable solutions and Brenda had her own doubts there but her eyes were starting to cross so she closed the exam booklet, got up from her seat, and then laid her exam and booklet on the table at the front of the room.

When she exited Willard Hall, Brenda blinked in the bright mid-morning sunshine and started her trek across the arts quadrangle. As she trudged along, she began to regret her decision to skip breakfast before her exam. She had been too nervous about the exam to eat but she was starting to feel light headed.

AJ Quartermaine fell in step with her as he came out of Danvers Hall. "How was your test?" he asked.

"It's over," Brenda said.

"That bad?"

"I don't know, I answered everything so I guess if my answers are right, I'll do great. I'm sure they aren't though so I guess we will just see if Professor Mason is generous with partial credit."

"I bet you did a lot better than you think. How about I treat you to lunch?"

"Someone has to pick up Katelyn from Preschool at 11:30," Brenda said.

"I am pretty sure grandmother and Reginald would love to do that," AJ said.

Reginald Jennings was Lila Quartermaine's personal driver. Apparently when Monica Quartermaine had enforced the no servants policy, she had allowed Edward to keep his chauffeur. Years later after Lila broke her hip and ended up in a wheelchair, she hired the grandson of one of her inlaws' original butlers as her mother in law's personal driver. Like most, he adored Lila.

"I hate to impose on her like that," Brenda said.

"I don't think picking up her granddaughter is a huge imposition. I could call her and ask," AJ offered.

Brenda engaged in internal debate. She probably shouldn't drive when she felt so light headed. She probably definitely shouldn't be driving an innocent three-year-old. Perhaps AJ sensed that and it was why he was offering. She was afraid of that and he had certainly done that before.

 _June 6, 1996_

 _"Grandmother wouldn't mind if we went to lunch first. When we come back, I'll wait until everyone is home from school and then take Kirk with me, so you will just have the girls," AJ offered as they came out of the Post Office._

 _AJ's grandmother had sent come up with a long list of morning errands for them to do while she volunteered to watch Katelyn and Brooke. However, Brenda had a feeling she just wanted to give her a reason to leave the house, something she had been avoiding doing lately. Lila had been a little too thrilled about her plans to meet Keesha for lunch the day before as well._

 _"Why? So, you can pay Alli and Em to watch Brooke and Katie? I'm not completely incompetent, AJ!" Brenda protested as they started walking across the town square._

 _"I never said that. I certainly don't think that. Anyway, he has soccer practice at four, so I might as well just take him with me when I go to Ward House it will save me a trip back here later."_

 _"Did you chauffeur your brother all over when Rosa was your parents' nanny?" Brenda asked._

 _"Well, no, but I also couldn't drive during most of that period. For the record, it isn't that I don't trust your driving. Anyway, cousin Celia would remind me to consider my carbon footprint and would not be thrilled to hear about me making you make needless trips. Somehow she still plans on having children and would like them to still have a planet to inherit."_

 _"Is she the one who sent your grandfather the aerator shoes?"_

 _"Yes, so he can give something back to the environment when he is puttering around in the backyard. I think she was also hoping it might inspire him to golf on foot, you know another way to reduce his carbon footprint."_

 _"Is this why Celia went to work at ELQ-West? Edward got sick of hearing about his large carbon footprint?" Brenda asked._

 _AJ laughed. "No, she's always been there. Her dad took over after his father died so it just made more sense, I guess for her to work with her dad."_

 _"I guess that works for some people," Brenda said with a shrug of her shoulders._

 _"Do you want to work with your dad?" AJ asked as they reached the other side of the square where he had parked. He unlocked the door for her, held it open while she climbed inside, and then closed it gently but securely._

 _Brenda sighed. Chivalry was surviving right through the twentieth century. Some people would say that Dr. Monica Quartermaine had raised her son well. Brenda wouldn't really dispute that but living with Quartermaines had shown her that AJ's sense of chivalry came from his father, the other Dr. Quartermaine, and indirectly from his grandfather._

 _"So, do you want to work with your dad?" AJ repeated once he had gotten into the driver's seat._

 _"No, although it isn't like it worked great for my sister either. Apparently, it must be going even worse recently because I guess she's considering moving to London to run the International Division of Barrett. So now I'll probably never see my nephew again. Yes, I know, it is not all about me and, if I should happen to possibly forget that for even a minute, then I'm sure Julia will remind me."_

 _"Do you feel like your dad compares you to Julia?" AJ asked._

 _"There is no comparison. Julia is everything I will never be."_

 _"Well, I guess the important question is if you want to be that? I mean she will always be older, sort of like Ned will be, but we're nineteen now we can be our own people not just Ned's cousin or Julia's little sister."_

 _"So, Edward compares you to Ned?"_

 _"I don't think he means to but, well, Ned is kind of his heir apparent. Ned will always be the oldest grandchild, that is a fact, and before the accident, although he would have never said it, I think Jason was his favorite. He's not really a grandchild, but he was in a way."_

 _"Don't be mad that I'm still friends with Jason. I know he was awful to your parents, but I just can't completely walk away, and Robin is dating him, so it would be so awkward for her if we weren't at least on speaking terms."_

 _"I'll never be able to hate Jason and I would never be mad at someone for being friends with him. It is weird to see him with Robin. He was so not interested before but if they're happy that is good, I guess. It just seems off and it stinks for Keesha."_

 _"Yeah, it does, I don't want her to feel like I'm choosing Robin over her, but I don't know."_

 _"Keesha doesn't feel that way. She's not quite up to hanging out with Robin and Jason and watching them do their cute coupley things but she understands that Jason made a choice."_

 _"Choices just stink sometimes," Brenda said._

 _"Yeah, they do sometimes. I thought Miguel was a pretty smart guy but now I'm not so sure."_

 _Brenda knew she should admit that she had broken up with Miguel. Sonny had told her that he was going to ask Lily for a divorce. But then Lily had told Sonny she was pregnant, and he couldn't abandon his son the way Mike had abandoned him. Sonny had then decided to stay in his marriage, but the accident had happened less than forty-eight hours after that decision. She wasn't up to explaining all of that to AJ though. Actually, she wasn't really up to explaining it to anyone. "I think Miguel and I were really just meant to be friends. There just wasn't anything more than that there, probably ever. At least we're still friends," Brenda said._

 _"Well, you guys are doing better than Nikki and I did. Probably because you are less of a drama queen than Nikki," AJ said. He smiled at her as he signaled and then glanced in the mirror before pulling away from the curb._

 _"Tell my sister that the next time she comes to wheel and deal with Ned. She'll find it very entertaining that I could possibly be less of a drama queen than someone, anyone really, I guess," Brenda said._

 _"Maybe your sister needs to acknowledge her own emotions more."_

 _Brenda laughed. "Yeah, I dare you to tell her that. Or maybe I don't because I'm sure the emotions she_ _would channel would be anger and disappointment over my lack of college progress. She wouldn't be working on channeling any inner calm or caring compassion like Lois."_

 _"Lois is one of the best things Ned ever brought home."_

 _"You make her sound like a stray pet."_

 _AJ stopped for a red light on Federal Avenue. He turned to look at Brenda for a moment. "I didn't mean it that way. I think Lois is great but, if you had known Ned's first wife, Jenny, then you would understand exactly why the family was so thrilled to meet her."_

 _"Your family truly welcomed Lois with open arms the first time they met her? Because, well, that isn't exactly Lois's take on the situation."_

 _"Ned brought her to brunch after church the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Grandmother adored her and Grandfather was charmed. He likes strong women who aren't afraid to speak their minds, even if he doesn't readily admit that."_

 _"Right, your Aunt Tracy kind of gave that away just by her existence. I notice she didn't get banished to ELQ West."_

 _AJ laughed. The light turned green and he made a right onto Main Street. "I told you Celia wasn't banished. Although, at this point, I'm not sure if Port Charles holds anything but bad memories for her. Aunt Tracy has really never worked for ELQ. That was the plan originally, I guess when she started working on her business degree at PCU. Then I guess she was supposed to take over as in house counsel when she finished law school but somehow she took the job at CPS instead."_

 _"Why?" Brenda asked. She noted that AJ had driven right past where he could have turned onto Lilac Drive which would take them back to the Quartermaine Mansion. So apparently, they were going to lunch. When AJ turned right onto Commerce Street, she figured they were taking the scenic loop around the town square and would eventually end up on Tower Road on their way to the Outback._

 _"Who knows? I was not even conceived at that point. It was before my parents were even married."_

 _"Maybe they offered her more money," Brenda suggested._

 _"County agencies don't usually outbid Fortune 500 companies in salary wars so I'm thinking probably not. Perhaps it's just more evidence of Grandmother's influence. Or perhaps it was Mitch's influence even back then."_

 _"Mitch? Ned's father? I thought his name was Larry."_

 _"It is, hence, Edward Lawrence Ashton. Mitch Williams was a friend of hers. They went to PCU Law together and I guess were friends ever since they were on law review together."_

 _"Did he work as an attorney with CPS too?"_

 _"I don't think so, but he was a big victims advocate. He was a prosecutor and he took over as DA when Chase Murdoch Sr. died. He and Aunt Tracy were engaged for a while. Perhaps that was just a political stunt though. I heard Ned say that once."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Mitch was campaigning for Attorney General and I'm sure it didn't hurt to have an engaging, and articulate fiancée on his arm on the campaign trail. The Quartermaine name probably just sweetened the deal. He ended up winning the election but then she didn't move with him to Albany and things fizzled out."_

 _"So, you think he just used her to improve his image during the campaign. Kind of like a trophy wife?" Brenda asked. Somehow it was hard to imagine Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler being anyone's trophy wife._

 _"From something Aunt Tracy said, I think anything he did was with her permission. Perhaps the engagement was real but the logistics got sticky once he needed to move to Albany. I don't know. I was only three when he was elected. I do vaguely remember the party the night of the election or at least I remember all of those balloons. I had a bowtie too, which matched dad's; I thought I was the epitome of cool."_

 _"You knew what epitome was when you were three?"_

 _"Maybe not, although I knew a lot of big words because it isn't like the Quartermaines can have dinner without debate. Ned would tell me what they meant. I used to get in trouble at Pre-school because I would use all those words and everyone was sure I had no idea what they meant but I did. I think that was how I ended up starting kindergarten a year early."_

 _Brenda smiled a little at the image of Ned translating dinner table topics for his younger cousin. It was kind of cute. "So, you and Ned were closer when you were younger?"_

 _"I want to think Ned and I are close now. We're family and, since my dad was kind of the only father figure Ned had growing up, sometimes we're almost sort of pseudo siblings. Maybe that makes things harder. We're also nine years apart; so, most of our lives we were at vastly different developmental stages. I think it is just taking us awhile to figure out how to interact as adults. Or maybe it is just taking a while for Ned to accept that I am an adult now. Yeah, day to day is rough but, if I needed him to, I know he'd have my back. Your sister is probably the same way," AJ said as he pulled into a parking spot behind the Outback._

 _"Maybe," Brenda said. But, honestly, she wasn't sure of that._

 _AJ killed the engine and turned to look at Brenda directly. "You and Julia are ten years apart, right?" he asked._

 _"We're fifteen years apart, at least going by a calendar. Of course, if you go with the Lucy Coe theory, that age is a state of mind, then we're probably more like thirty."_

 _AJ laughed. "I was thinking she was around Ned's age but I guess she is a little older than that. I guess I first remember her from that patent interference hearing with Barrett Industries in 1993."_

 _Brenda shrugged her shoulders again. "If you say so." She honestly had no idea what AJ was talking about. It wasn't like Harlan had ever shared anything about Barrett Industries with her._

 _"There was some copper extraction process that ELQ Enterprises had patented. A few years later Barrett Industries submitted the same process for patent. Their application was denied, so they appealed the denial and requested a patent interference hearing. At that point, it becomes a question of who really came up with the idea first not just who filed first," AJ explained._

 _"So much for you snooze you lose," Brenda said. She laughed a little, in spite of the overwhelming, and overpowering, sensation of loneliness._

 _"Grandfather would agree with you on that. He thought the whole process was preposterous. Little else was discussed at the dinner table for a few weeks until Grandmother put him on notice."_

 _That sounded about right to Brenda. "So, who won?" she asked._

 _AJ smiled. "Grandfather knew what was good for him and got with the program. Or were you referring to the hearing? Ned managed to show that ELQ had been working with the technology sooner. It was a bit of a hollow victory for him because he came home to celebrate with his wife and found she was in their bed with former ELQ attorney, Paul Hornsby."_

 _"Ouch!"_

 _"Yeah, more evidence to my earlier point that Jenny wasn't exactly a good wife for him, or to him. So, let's lift the mood, how about some lunch?"_

 _"You mean since your car just magically took us to The Outback," Brenda said. There had been a time when Sonny's car had just magically taken him to the Quartermaine Mansion to see her._

 _"As I said the other day, you say the word and I'll take you straight home. But I happen to know that today's lunch special is that grilled Portabella and Mozzarella sandwich that you love."_

 _Brenda sighed again. "You're too kind, seriously," she said. She truly meant the words. She didn't deserve AJ's kindness, not after all that had happened._

 _"My grandmother would dispute that one could be too kind. Come on, I'll treat you to lunch," AJ said._

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _When AJ guided her through the front door of The Outback, Brenda immediately spotted Katherine Bell and groaned internally. She so did not need another reminder that part two of her Deceptions photo shoot would be happening tomorrow. Part one had been more than enough to push her last nerve. Deception photo shoots with Katherine tended to do that. Of course, photo shoots for Temptations, Lucy Coe's dress line, were different but in truth often just as annoying. Lucy didn't spend the entire shoot tossing out depreciating barbs. Actually, Lucy tended usually tended to gush about how wonderful Brenda was for at least a few minutes at least as a lead in to spending the rest of the shoot babbling on about her own wonder. Perhaps her agent had a point when they suggested that she really should expand her modeling horizons beyond Port Charles._

 _After they were seated at a table in the center of the room AJ glanced back at the table where Katherine sat with Jasper Jacks of all people. "Perhaps Grandfather is less paranoid than we think," he said._

 _Brenda took a sip of her water. She remembered how Sonny used to joke that he wasn't paranoid, everyone really was out to get him. She hadn't realized at the time how accurate his words were. "What do you mean?" she asked._

 _"Grandfather thinks that Jax's next move will be to raid Deception Cosmetics. I suppose lunching with Katherine Bell might be part of that."_

 _"Do you really think she's passing on trade secrets while in full view at The Outback? That would only be more than a little obvious," Brenda said._

 _"Perhaps, but when Laura Templeton defected to Jabot a few years ago Jack Abbott flew in and wined and dined her at the PC Grille with an offer she couldn't refuse. I'm not sure if that was obvious or just arrogant and cocky," AJ said._

 _Brenda didn't really know Jack Abbott but she could see how those words could apply to Jax. Somehow, he still hadn't given up on his conquest to make Lois his. The fact that she was married to a man she loved who happened to be the father of her daughter was more of superfluous trivia than a deterrent for him. "Ok, well, then, in that case, perhaps Jax is luring Katherine away to Jax Cosmetics and my next photo shoot will be one thousand times better."_

 _AJ laughed. "I'm not sure Katherine isn't heartless, and with a friend like her you might merely have one more enemy, but her business instincts aren't bad. She's done decent things for Deceptions from a marketing standpoint."_

 _"I guess I'll have to take your word on that," Brenda said._

 _"She hired you right?" AJ asked._

 _"Yeah, just don't remind her of that until after I get through tomorrow's photo shoot. Somehow I'm sure that would just give her more of a sense of entitlement to lob derogatory comments at me all day."_

 _AJ seemed shocked by her words. "Is it really that bad?"_

 _"It can be. Or I think it can. Perhaps, Julia is right and, I'm just overly sensitive. That has always been her view on things."_

 _"I don't think you're overly sensitive but I know when I get down on myself everyone else's criticism seems a lot harsher."_

 _Brenda sighed. "If you're trying to compare your relationship with Ned to mine with Julia it isn't the same."_

 _"I'm not saying that exactly. I'm just saying maybe just keep trying to believe that you and Julia will eventually get there because I think you will."_

 _"Sometimes I think, if it wasn't for Cooper, Julia would have written me off years ago. But see Cooper loves me, he's probably the only one in the family who does, so she's kind of stuck. She can't completely excommunicate me because Cooper would miss me. I would miss him too; so, they better not actually end up moving to London."_

 _"He is around Kirk's age, right?"_

 _"Close, he is in between Dylan and Kirk, I guess. He will be ten on Christmas Eve. He is great! Julia is supposed to let him come visit this summer. Of course, she was supposed to let him come visit last summer and she never did."_

 _"Maybe you could go visit him?" AJ suggested._

 _"Maybe, they live in Seattle now," Brenda said_

 _"That was one of the stops on Ned's West Coast tour."_

 _"Yeah, and Julia actually brought him to that. He and his friend, Sarah, gave Brooke chocolate though so she had a cow."_

 _"Your sister did? Or Lois did?" AJ asked._

 _"My sister and then she insinuated that the fact that Lois wasn't flipping out like she was meant she was an ineffective mother. A lot of times I think the J in Julia must be for Judgmental."_

 _AJ cracked half of a smile and then hid it a little sheepishly. "Lois seems like a really good mom," he said._

 _"She is. Brooke was fine, and that whole chocolate thing is probably a little bit of overkill anyway. Of course, Julia does everything by the book so I'm sure she never let Cooper have chocolate before he was two. Ned somehow smoothed the chocolate incident over."_

 _"With Lois?"_

 _"More with Julia, she would probably be more likely to let Cooper come visit if he asked. That's so pathetic you know she trusts some random business associate with her son but not her own sister."_

 _"Are you sure she really feels this way?" AJ asked._

 _"Well, when we were in Seattle, Cooper wanted us to take Brooke to the aquarium but Julia was sure that was a bad idea. Then Ned thought it was a great idea and volunteered to come. Somehow Sarah's father and Ned are old friends so he convinced Julia that she could trust Ned. It's just no one trusts me!"_

 _"My parents trust you. Considering that they hired you, right after Tara Kincaid, when they didn't want to trust anyone, I think that says a lot."_

 _"They hired me because Ned intervened on my behalf after the shrew convinced Harlan to freeze my trust fund. At best, your parents trust Ned."_

 _"They do trust Ned and I think being Brooke Lynn's godmother was probably a point in your favor because they know that Brooke Lynn is practically Ned and Lois's world. That is how it should be. That is how it always was for me growing up, it is what I hope that Alli, Em, Kirk, and Katelyn will always have too."_

 _Brenda winced and bit her lip at AJ's words. It was almost painful to hear how loved he felt because she could only contrast it to how unloved she had felt growing up. Her mother had been too busy spending Harlan's money to even remember she had a daughter most days and Harlan was still waiting for a child that was worth getting to know. She certainly hadn't been that child. The whole idea was just too depressing so she changed the topic. "So, was Tara really as much of a psychopath as Ned said?"_

 _"You could say that, just don't around my mom ok? She still has some guilt for not picking up on that sooner but she was distracted with a lot. She had just had the surgery and radiation so her own health wasn't the greatest, the hospital never hired anyone to replace her so they really needed her back at work immediately if not sooner, Paige was dying, and Emily was distraught. I don't think it is surprising that she didn't pick up that Tara was trying to seduce dad."_

 _"Your father is in his forties."_

 _"Yes, and I'm sure she was aware of that, since we celebrated his forty second birthday that summer. I think it was a few days afterwards that she tried to join him for a nighttime swim without her suit. Apparently, he explained that was not, and never would be, acceptable behavior and had the pool shock treated."_

 _Brenda laughed. "He had your pool deskankified, I like it."_

 _AJ raised an eyebrow. "Deskankified?" he asked._

 _Brenda smiled. "Consider it an adverb, basically it's the act of removing all traces of the skank and their utter skankiness. I bet Ned never taught you that one."_

 _AJ smiled back. "No, I guess that never came up at family dinners. That is probably good because I doubt that would have gone over well at my non-denominational Christian preschool."_

 _Brenda laughed. "No, probably not."_

"So, what do you say?" AJ asked.

AJ's question pulled Brenda from the earlier memory. She had been such a mess that summer, after Lily had died. AJ had been so kind and understanding. He was still so kind and understanding and it would be so easy to fall back into the pattern of letting him guide her life like she had then. Things were different though, and she didn't really want to mess up his relationship with Keesha. "Ok, if your grandmother doesn't mind picking up Katelyn, we can go to lunch. Why don't we go to Kelly's and see if Keesha wants to join us?"

Brenda dropped down to a nearby bench while AJ made the arrangements with his grandmother.

"Grandmother says she would love to collect Katelyn and have a picnic lunch in the rose garden. There are only going to be so many nice days before winter comes. She also pointed out that Katelyn's piano instructor will be coming for her lesson at 1:30 so there isn't any rush for us to get home, or if we do get home earlier you should completely feel free to take a nap," AJ said when he joined her a few minutes later.

"How convenient," Brenda said.

"Isn't it? Do you want me to drive your car? I'm parked at the Delta Tau Delta House so I can leave my car there until someone can bring me back to get it a lot more securely than you can in the commuter student lot."

AJ's words seemed to confirm Brenda's earlier suspicions but she decided that maybe the safest thing was to just go along with it. The responsible thing would probably also be to not skip breakfast again.


	36. Chapter 32:Haunting Refrains of the Past

Melissa McKee Murdoch pulled the door to Kelly's Diner open and stepped inside. It had been unseasonably warm for October and it was tempting to grab a table on the small patio but Chase was supposed to meet her for lunch and would hate that so she ventured inside. "Hi Ruby!" she called.

"Melissa, hi, how are you?" Ruby Anderson asked as she started to prepare a glass of iced tea.

"I just finished up a sixteen-hour ICU overnight shift. I'm supposed to be meeting Chase for lunch and then I am going home for a nap!" Melissa said as she pulled out a stool at the counter and reached for the glass of tea.

"Sixteen hours? Like I tell Bobbie, that is insane!"

"It wasn't exactly by choice. Apparently, Amy Vining got a jury summons but neglected to tell anyone so she called off at the last minute and someone had to stay. ICU patients don't exactly take care of themselves. Betsy came in to work eleven to seven and theoretically Amy is going to work her day shift tomorrow unless she somehow gets empaneled on this jury, which I can't imagine, especially considering Amy threatened to kill Dr. Dorman herself on more than one occasion."

Ruby gasped. "You're not saying that you think Amy is responsible for his murder, are you?"

"No, I'm just saying I doubt she is a good impartial juror for this particular case because she knew the victim," Melissa said. She wasn't really sure she thought Amy was a good impartial juror for any case but decided it wouldn't be polite to voice that aloud. After all Amy's sister, Laura Webber Spencer, was married to married to Ruby's nephew, Luke Spencer, so, at least in a sense, Amy was family.

"Well, that is a relief, I would hate to think, Luke brought a murderess into the family," Ruby said.

Melissa forced a friendly laugh and decided not to point out that many, including his own sister, would argue that Luke had brought a murderess into the family when he married his wife, Laura Vining Webber. There was no dispute that she had killed Rick Hamilton after he had broken off their relationship when she had been nineteen. Her mother had been charged with first degree murder. At the last minute, after her mother ended up being convicted of manslaughter, Laura had found her conscience and admitted the truth. At the time she had been a few months away from her twentieth birthday. Her attorney had tried for youthful offender status but it was denied due to a prior drug charge adjudicated in California. In the end she ended up pleading guilty to 3rd degree assault and ended up with a suspended sentence and probation. Somehow, at least in Port Charles, that fact was much more easily forgotten than many other indiscretions of other residents. Some people were just lucky that way. Melissa herself, not so much.

"That was a sweet picture of you and your gorgeous husband in the Port Charles Herald on Sunday," Ruby said.

"Huh? Chase and I were in the paper?" Melissa asked.

"They did a special two page spread with photos from Ned Ashton's latest wedding reception. I guess you made the guest list."

"Oh, yeah, Chase and Ned are childhood friends. Ned was Chase's best man at our wedding," Melissa explained. Sometimes she thought Ruby had a selective memory especially when she was fishing for the latest gossip.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Well, his newest wife certainly isn't any accounting for taste," she said.

Melissa tended to agree but she supposed it really wasn't her place to have an opinion. She was also quite certain that an equal number of people had probably wondered what Chase saw in her a few years earlier. Fortunately, the bell on the door jangled and when she turned, she saw Chase walking through it saving her from future comment.

Chase gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Sorry, I am a little late. Apparently, we inadvertently empaneled a juror with a felony conviction so it took a while to straighten that out," he said.

"How did that happen, or this one of those things you can't explain due to attorney client privilege?"

"Apparently Judge Lombardi's clerk forgot to include the first page of the juror questionnaire which asked about convictions so then Judge Lombardi explained that at the beginning of voir dire and asked people to excuse themselves. Two people did, one of whom didn't actually have a felony conviction, but another individual was purportedly too embarrassed to come forward."

"So, then what happened?"

"That juror had a relative also empaneled who disclosed the conviction to Judge Lombardi and he removed the juror and replaced her with a guy who thought his last DUI conviction was a felony conviction but apparently it somehow was not."

"Should it have been a felony conviction?"

"Since it was his fourth offense in five years, you would think so. I guess it was prosecuted by Michael Schultz himself so perhaps there was a valid reason why it wasn't charged that way or perhaps it was another reason why he is no longer DA but I shouldn't have an opinion on that."

"Or at least not one you express publicly?" Ruby asked.

Chase winked. "Something like that, spousal privilege has it's perks even for the law abiding."

XXXXXXXX

Keesha Ward walked down Elm Street towards Wharf Street to meet AJ and Brenda for lunch at Kelly's Diner. She had taken the route so many times, but sometimes she was struck by the reality that she was essentially tracing the final steps of her Uncle Bradley. For inexplicable reasons today was one of those days.

Her Uncle had been an US Attorney at the time of his death. Although the police had arrested Damian Smith and AJ's aunt, another US Attorney, Abigail Donnelly-Quartermaine had secured a conviction their family was still left without a real sense of justice and more questions than answers. Perhaps it would always be that way. Her cousin Justus seemed to feel that way. Her cousin Faith was much younger and at eleven she had just wanted her daddy back. Her father's death had made her uncharacteristically stoic but Keesha was quite certain that, even at fifteen, Faith still just wanted her daddy back.

AJ had just pulled up to the curb on Wharf Street when Keesha reached the diner. "How was your test?" she asked as Brenda stepped out of the car.

"It's over, we'll just leave it at that," Brenda said.

"I bet you did a lot better than you think," Keesha offered.

"I just spent the last ten minutes telling her the same thing, so I guess great minds think alike," AJ said as he wrapped an arm around her as they walked into the diner.

Brenda shook her head. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, really, guys but this is me, the person voted most likely to take a decade to complete a bachelor's degree."

"Why would you say that?" Keesha asked.

"Let's just say that my sister is less than impressed that I have only managed to accumulate about sixty credits towards my bachelor's degree in three years," Brenda said as they seated themselves at a table by the door.

"You started college early and you're basically working your way through school. It isn't a competition, but I didn't think your sister did either of those things so I don't think she is really in a position to have any legitimate ability to evaluate your progress," AJ said.

"When you say it that way it sounds so reasonable and logical. But whenever I talk to Julia all of that seems to go out the window. It's like I'm five years old again and I just spilled paint on one of her books," Brenda said.

"Ok, that I can understand," Keesha admitted.

Brenda raised an eyebrow. "You can?" she asked.

"Well, not literally, but in the greater sense, sure. It is somewhat of a common theme in some of the more emotionally charged discussions or disagreements I have had with my cousin, Justus," Keesha said.

"But I thought you had a great relationship?" Brenda asked.

"We're cousins; we're always going to love each other and we were definitely raised that family sticks together but we have also had our differences of opinion. Justus was wary about me dating Jason, given how it all ended I guess he was right. I wasn't impressed that he started dating Simone before she had divorced Dr. Hardy and then I thought he let her go far too easily which was painfully ironic, especially given the timing."

"I never knew that Justus didn't approve of Jason," AJ said.

"It wasn't that he didn't approve of Jason. Honestly, whether he will ever admit it aloud or not, it was much more that he didn't think interracial relationships were advisable," Keesha admitted reluctantly. She knew her admission opened up the follow up question, did Justus approve of her relationship with AJ? She wouldn't be able to answer that question because she and Justus had carefully both avoided that topic.

XXXXXXXX

Across the diner, Melissa McKee Murdoch took a hasty bite of her clam chowder to save herself from saying something she would regret later. _Her husband wanted her to befriend a piranha! Ok, so said piranha was also the wife of his best friend, but did that really change things? Melissa thought not!_ As she took another bite of chowder Melissa realized she probably should have seen the request coming after church the prior Sunday.

 _October 5, 1997_

 _Melissa McKee Murdoch stood on the lawn in front of Trinity Episcopal Church waiting for her father in law to extricate himself from some conversation with Edward Quartermaine. Perhaps her husband was telepathic; or maybe he just knew her well because he flashed her a knowing smile._

 _"_ _Are you still really behind with work or might we get to take advantage of this wonderful weather and go for a bike ride or something?" Melissa asked._

 _Chase shook his head. "Unfortunately, I still have a lot of work to do on the trial and jury selection starts on Tuesday."_

 _"_ _I was afraid of that," Melissa said. The trial had been lurking and looming since the summer. Although Chase hadn't exactly told her, because he wouldn't because certain things had to be confidential, Melissa sensed he had his own questions about Kaylee Reynolds' guilt._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, I will make it up to you, somehow," Chase said._

 _"_ _I'm holding you to that, just not this month," Melissa said._

 _"_ _It may not be next month either. Justus Ward has more than fifty defense witnesses. This trial will definitely be a marathon," Chase said._

 _"_ _In that case, then I so get to pick where we go for lunch," Melissa said._

 _"_ _Oh, that I can allow."_

 _Melissa forced a smile as she saw Ned and Carly Ashton reach the bottom of the church steps and turn towards them. Ned was her husband's friend so she would treat him, and even his home wrecking wife, with respect. She didn't really have anything against Ned. It wasn't like she was still holding a grudge because he had rejected her when she had been seventeen. She had moved past that and Ned had technically been the one to introduce her to her husband so that more than made up for it. Melissa couldn't really say she didn't have anything against Carly but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind._

 _"_ _Ned, Carly, hello," Chase said warmly._

 _"_ _We're glad you were both able to join us for the reception on Friday, I hope you enjoyed the evening," Ned said._

 _"_ _It was wonderful," Chase said._

 _"_ _Yes, very wonderful," Melissa said but she sent her husband and look which confirmed that the most wonderful aspects of the evening had been before and after the reception._

 _"_ _Are we still on for tennis tomorrow morning? I reserved a court for six," Ned asked when he and Carly joined them._

 _Melissa saw Chase hesitate. She suspected he felt guilty for making plans with Ned when he had basically announced that she might as well consider herself single for the next few months. "Don't decline because you feel badly you just got done telling me how you have no time. There is a limit to how much time you can spend on this trial so, go play tennis with Ned."_

 _"_ _Sometimes you are way more understanding than I deserve," Chase said._

 _"_ _But then other times I make up for all of that and more I'm sure," Melissa said._

 _Ned and Chase both laughed and Melissa joined them with another seductive smile for her husband. Carly looked uncomfortable and left out and Melissa decided she was kind of a witch because she didn't really feel badly about that. After all, Carly had broken up former foster mom, Bobbie Jones' marriage by sleeping with Bobbie's third husband, Dr. Tony Jones._

 _"_ _Well, marriage is a cooperative process, right?" Ned joked._

 _"_ _Ours definitely is," Melissa said smugly. She kind of regretted the words once they were out when she saw the way Ned winced. Carly was his third wife after all. Of course, he had kind of opened the door, as her husband would say._

 _"_ _How long have you been married?" Carly asked._

 _"_ _We celebrated our third anniversary in June. Ned actually introduced us," Melissa said. She sensed that Carly was curious how she and Ned had met for him to make the introductions but she doubted she would actually have the guts to ask. There wasn't really a huge story there. It had been the summer of 1989; she had been waitressing at Kelly's Diner, Ned had come in for lunch while home from Duke University over the summer. He thought she was a child. His younger cousin, AJ Quartermaine had thought she was cute. She had thought AJ was a child._

 _"_ _Now you see why he is my best friend," Chase quipped._

 _"_ _And here I thought it was because of my rapier wit," Ned protested._

 _"_ _Oh, that too, of course, right, honey?" Melissa said with a quick good-natured roll of her eyes._

 _"_ _Oh definitely," Chase agreed._

 _Melissa noticed again how Carly seemed uncomfortable. Perhaps she had no idea what they were talking about. She probably didn't._

"Somehow I'm guessing you don't think having lunch with Carly is as great an idea as I thought it might be," Chase's words pulled Melissa from her thoughts.

Melissa heard the trepidation in her husband's voice as if he truly had made the suggestion because he thought she would appreciate it, not because he was doing a favor for his best friend. "Obviously I am missing something because I really can't imagine why you would think I would want to have lunch with Carly," she said.

"You were saying you wished you were closer to the wives of my friends."

Melissa suspected he was referring to her frustration that all the other wives of his fraternity brothers from Cornell were pretentious snobs. Technically she really didn't want to be closer to them because they were pretentious snobs, however, even so their rejection stung a bit. For half a second, she contemplated whether Carly Ashton thought she was a pretentious snob.

"It is totally up to you."

"I'll think about it. Maybe we can just have Carly and Ned for dinner some evening," Melissa suggested. She figured that would buy her a little time because it would be at least a month if not two before Chase wasn't completely wrapped up in the Pierce Dorman trial. She was pretty sure Chase knew that too, but he just smiled and took another bite of his burger.

Perhaps she was a hypocrite as well since her main reason for disliking Carly was that she had broken up former foster mom, Bobbie Jones' marriage by sleeping with Bobbie's third husband, Dr. Tony Jones. Of course, Melissa herself had basically decimated Bobbie's second marriage to attorney Jake Meyers. Bobbie and Jake had diplomatically denied the latter and acknowledged that she was a grieving teen when she and her eight-year-old brother had come to live with them after their mother died from cancer.

Years later, Melissa could appreciate everything they had both given her and done for them. At fifteen and sixteen she had just been too mired in her own grief to appreciate anything. She had pushed against any limits they set and then run away to Florida with her boyfriend, Zach. Unfortunately, Zach was basically a budding sociopath and sold her into a prostitution ring. Melissa also grasped that most foster parents would have notified children's services, and perhaps the police. Perhaps a rare few would have looked for her, however, Bobbie Spencer Meyers was probably the only one who would attempt to go undercover in the same prostitution ring Melissa was trapped in. The potential, and actual, sacrifices her foster mother had made had been lost on Melissa at the time. In retrospect, she understood and appreciated them greatly. She even understood that Jake had partly reacted the way he had in an effort to ensure that her brother had a safe home and at least one parent who was above reproach even in the eyes of a judgmental social services system. She had gotten her act together, finished high school, excelled in nursing school, and become an ICU nurse at PCGH. She had healed and grown. Maybe that was also Carly's goal, maybe…


	37. Chapter 33: Here We Go Again

As she collapsed onto her bed, Brenda Barrett contemplated whether she could be a more ineffective nanny. So often she felt like it might be more accurate to say the Quartermaines paid her to let them try to take care of her rather than paying her to truly take care of their children. When she had returned home from lunch with AJ, Lila had quickly reminded her that Katelyn's piano instructor would be arriving soon and why didn't she take some time for herself and rest.

Lila's intentions were good. Unfortunately, Brenda had learned the hard way that time for herself often turned into time alone with her thoughts. Too often those thoughts turned unpleasant. Perhaps that was reasonable because it was hard to think of an event that truly had a happy ending.

 _May 31, 1996_

 _Brenda Barrett walked into Luke's carrying a wrapped gift. She caught Lois and Ned's nervous glances as she walked towards them. She was sure they were concerned because Sonny was there, with his wife Lily who he wouldn't be divorcing after all since she was pregnant with his child. Lois had probably anticipated that they would be and it was why she had wanted to go to the Outback instead._

 _Robin hadn't wanted to go to the Outback though because her Uncle Mac was being overly controlling again since she had started dating Jason Morgan and as she had pointed out if she had wanted to spend time with Uncle Mac, which at the moment she didn't, she could just stay home. So, Luke's it was. It had been supposed to be a Girls Night Out, but Robin had insisted on bringing Jason so then Ned had included himself as well. Brenda, who's life and turned upside down twice in forty-eight hours, had decided the worst thing she could do was bring a date. Lois had offered to invite her friend Jax but she had politely declined._

 _Brenda was supposed to meet Keesha later anyway so that Keesha could drop off a birthday present in person before leaving in the morning to drive to Philadelphia to visit her maternal grandmother. When it had been originally a Girls Night Out event, Brenda was going to invite Keesha and decree that they could all celebrate her birthday a day early. But once Robin announced she was bringing Jason; Brenda was glad she hadn't made the phone call. It wasn't that she thought Robin was wrong for dating Jason, because she didn't really think she was in any position to judge, but she knew it was still hard for Keesha to see him because he looked just like the man she loved, but he had no memories of ever being that person after the accident that had killed his parents had left him with traumatic brain injury._

 _"_ _Who is the early birthday present from?" Lois asked as Brenda sat down._

 _"_ _I guess it is technically a very early birthday present. It's for the baby," Brenda said. She laid the gift on the table and picked up the glass in front of her. "Is this for me?"_

 _"_ _It's sprite, it can be for you. I didn't touch it yet," Ned said._

 _"_ _What are you up to, Bren?" Lois asked._

 _"_ _Nothing, I was at the mall anyway. I didn't realize they made CDs with lullabies it looked really cute."_

 _"_ _So, you're saying you're ok with all of this?"_

 _"_ _Not really, but if anyone can understand what it's like to be caught in the middle of parental drama it's me. I mean my stepmother kicked me out of the house at sixteen. Lily's baby deserves to grow up in peace with both parents. So, yes, Ned, be mad because I do still love Sonny, and maybe I always will, but I respected the sanctity of his marriage vows until he thought he was ready to end them and now that he's decided to stay with Lily for their child I can respect that. I'm not volunteering to be a godmother; I'm just giving the kid a gift."_

 _"_ _Well I think that's very mature. Don't you think that's very mature, Lois?" Ned asked._

 _Lois looked at her like she didn't really believe her and Brenda took a sip of her soda hoping that Lois was wrong. She could do this she could watch Sonny raise children with someone else. She had watched him marry Lily, albeit holding Miguel's hand as part of their pact to not speak their minds and object to the ceremony._

 _"_ _Yeah, that's great Brenda," Lois said after significant hesitation._

 _"_ _Actually, I'm going to go give this to Lily before Robin gets here," Brenda said hopping up from the table before Ned or Lois could object._

 _As she started across the room towards the table Sonny and Lily were sitting at with his father, and Luke and Laura Spencer she took a deep breath steeling herself for the moment. "Congratulations," she said to Lily with forced cheeriness. "This is for you, well actually for the baby but I think you will have to open it," she continued extending the gift._

 _Lily looked shocked, and perhaps even a little scared._

 _"_ _Really it's safe," Brenda said pretending to laugh._

 _"_ _Thank you, that's really sweet. It's the baby's first gift, in fact. I think maybe that means we're supposed to bronze it or something."_

 _"_ _I think that is their first shoes," Brenda said._

 _"_ _Yeah, you're probably right, I am a little new at this. Michael, do you want to open this?"_

 _Brenda caught Sonny's eyes for the first time. "Why don't you open it together?" she suggested._

 _"_ _That is a good idea, wait let me get out my camera. You should have a picture for the baby book of this," Laura exclaimed rummaging through her purse._

 _"_ _You keep a camera in your purse?" Sonny asked._

 _"_ _Of course, you never know when your kids are going to do something cute, you have to be prepared. Trust me Sonny Lily will be keeping a camera in her purse to take pictures of your little one. Ok I'm all ready now."_

 _Sonny and Lily opened the gift as Laura clicked away. "Oh, they are little lullabye CDs. I got these for one of the teachers at my school for her daughter. Thank you, Brenda," Lily said with a genuine smile._

 _"_ _I was at the mall and I saw them and I thought of you. They say babies can hear in the womb so you could even play them now."_

 _"_ _You're right," Lily said standing up to hug her._

 _It felt a little awkward but Brenda hugged back._

Brenda wanted to believe it could have been a start to something, exactly what, she had no clue. She and Lily had, at least loosely, been friends when Lily had been engaged to Miguel. In fact, a year earlier she and Sonny had shared a table at the Nurse's Ball with them, Lois and Ned, and Stone and Robin. A lot had changed since then but before Lily had died Brenda had wanted to believe that somehow it might still all work out. But Lily had died, in a trap her father had set to kill Sonny.

 _May 31, 1996_

 _As she walked down Wharf Street to Luke's, Brenda Barrett heart pounded. It probably hadn't been the best plan to walk from Luke's to Kelly's Diner to meet Keesha. She hadn't really thought about how dark it would be by the time she had to walk back to retrieve her car, or how few street lights there were. Her sister would suggest she didn't think, period! Somehow Julia Barrett never made stupid choices. It must be nice._

 _In spite of her uneasiness, she managed to reach the club alive and unharmed. Sonny,_

 _Luke, and Mike were outside watching Lily walk fifty yards to retrieve Sonny's jaguar from his reserved space. Apparently, Sonny had gotten a little intoxicated on the round of champagne he had bought for the entire club to celebrate his unborn child. He seemed happy though and Brenda wanted that for him, for them. So, she took a deep breath and chatted with Max Giambetti while some new employee retrieved her car._

 _Their easy banter was interrupted by a loud boom and Max swiftly moved her back towards the club, helped her down low to the ground and shielded her with his body. When she finally caught her breath and peered around Max, she saw Sonny's car engulfed in flames. Her emotions took over and she screamed._

 _Max turned to face her and helped her back to her feet. "Are you hurt, Brenda?" he asked._

 _Brenda didn't speak. She couldn't. She collapsed forward into his arms and sobbed. She felt Max wrap his arms around her. He was speaking but she couldn't really process what he was saying. She was so cold. She heard Sonny's guttural scream echoing through the darkness. Part of her was drawn to it, to him but her feet wouldn't move and everything seemed to fade away into nothingness._

Brenda had later been told that Max had carried her back into Luke's club. She had no recollection of any of that or much recollection of the events between then and when Ned had driven her back to the Quartermaine Mansion.

 _May 31, 1996_

 _Brenda struggled to take a deep breath as Ned drove through the front gates of the Quartermaine Estate. She couldn't believe that Lily was dead. "It wasn't supposed to end this way," she finally murmured as Ned pulled up in front of the mansion and shifted into park._

 _"_ _I know. Unfortunately, the violence of Sonny's world doesn't always discriminate well. That is why I have always had concern with Lois, you, and now Jason, being right in the middle of it all. But I don't mean to get into that now. Are you going to be ok at least for tonight?" Ned asked._

 _Brenda internally debated between the honest answer and the one that would allow Ned to leave and relieve the baby sitter so Emily got home before her ten o'clock weekend curfew. She decided upon the latter. "Yeah, I'm just going to go to bed. Tell Lois I will call her in the morning."_

 _"_ _I will," Ned said. He pulled her into a sideways hug, and then patted her shoulder for a minute. "Call my cell phone if you need anything later tonight," he added._

 _Brenda nodded and then silently got out of the car._

 _When Brenda opened the front door a few moments later the front foyer was empty and no one seemed to be in the living room. Perhaps the coast truly was clear. She hesitated in the foyer for a minute and then made her way down the East Hallway to the kitchen. The kitchen was also empty but through the French doors she could that the outside lights were on for the East Patio that led to the pool. It looked like AJ was out by the pool with Ashley Barrington._

 _Brenda shook her head at that image. Perhaps Ashley's return from Fairleigh Dickinson had led to AJ's recent break up with Nikki Langton. She supposed that would fit, although it kind of stunk for AJ. Not that dating Nikki Langton had exactly done him any favors either though she supposed. Whatever, she thought, it really wasn't any of her business._

 _Brenda was about to go up the kitchen stairs when Dr. Monica Quartermaine came into the kitchen from the solarium._

 _"_ _Oh hi, Brenda, I heard someone come in and hoped maybe Emily was back," Monica said._

 _"_ _No, but Ned just dropped me off so she will probably be calling you in a minute for a ride."_

 _"_ _Usually Ned or Lois drop them back home or they walk but I wouldn't want her walking after nine even in a safe neighborhood like this."_

 _"_ _Lois went to Sonny's so Ned will probably need you to pick her up."_

 _"_ _Is everything ok?"_

 _"_ _You know I think I'll let Ned explain that. I'm sorry, I'm really tired," Brenda said and then she turned and started up the stairs before Monica could say anything else._

 _Brenda knew her response was a little rude but she just couldn't get into it all. In her room she collapsed onto her bed and started to cry. She couldn't really explain the tears; it seemed hypocritical for her to shed them for Lily because they really hadn't been friends. But still, Lily was a person and a few hours ago she was going to be a mother._

Apparently, Ned had explained because in the morning Monica had apologized for not realizing what an ordeal Brenda had been through. She had also explained that neither she nor Alan were on call for the rest of the weekend so she could feel free to take the whole weekend for herself if she wanted. It had been a nice gesture and Brenda had spent most of the weekend locked in her room. It hadn't really helped.

Knocking pulled Brenda from her thoughts. "You can come in," she called as she presumed that Katelyn's piano lesson had ended early. However, when her bedroom door opened AJ, not his three-year-old little sister, was standing in her doorway.

"Oh, hi," Brenda said.

"I just wanted to see how you were feeling. I can plan on picking up Kirk and Serena from school at 2:30 if you need," AJ offered as he stepped inside and sat down in the armchair in her room.

Brenda pulled her knees up and tucked them under her chin. "I'm fine. I just haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately," she said. She hoped AJ would presume that was because she had been studying over time for her statistics exam. She had been, but even if she hadn't, she likely wouldn't have been sleeping well. Then there was the issue that even if she did fall asleep; too often her dreams were invaded with traumatic scenes, like the night Lily had died.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look fine. I know you were traumatized after Lily's death. It would be very understandable if Jason's limo explosion brought back some of those same fears," AJ said.

"It didn't," Brenda said flatly. It was a bold lie and she wondered if AJ would see through it. She wondered if she really wanted him to.

"Ok. I'm not going to tell you how you should feel. Just promise me that you remember I am always going to be your friend, and there isn't anything you can't ask. I want to help."

AJ's words sounded nice and AJ was genuine enough that she believed he really meant them. He just didn't realize exactly what he was offering. Her life was a mess but what AJ was imagining was merely the tip of the iceberg and Brenda was afraid that if she let her defenses down even a little, she really would break. "Thanks," she finally managed to mumble and then buried her face in her knees.

"Why don't you let me pick up Kirk and Serena? I'll even take Katelyn with me because they all have soccer this afternoon. I can just take all three of them over to the fields at Community Commons and meet dad."

"You don't have to do that, AJ."

"I know, but I want to. Mom is on call tonight so she will likely be at the hospital late."

"Yes, she already briefed me that there is lentil soup in the crock pot. Emily will make a green salad after cross country practice and your grandfather will grumble. I can hardly wait."

"Well, gee, when you put it that way, I can't either," AJ said.


	38. Chapter 34: Nocturnal Insecurity

Keesha Ward gave up, closed her book, and capped her highlighter. She was practically coloring her social work practices text yellow anyway. She laid her textbook on the shelf under her bedside table and glanced at the clock; it was almost nine o'clock so if she was going to call AJ she probably needed to do it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to though. They had never been the kind of couple who called each other every night to say goodnight but she had felt unsettled by their conversation at lunch after she had inadvertently revealed her cousin's aversion to interracial relationships. AJ had just let the topic drop. Perhaps that was because he didn't want to discuss it in front of Brenda. Or maybe he just didn't want to discuss it at all. Keesha was afraid of that.

With trepidation Keesha picked up the phone from her bedside table and started to dial the Quartermaine number. AJ's fourteen-year-old sister Allison answered on the second ring. Keesha wondered if she was waiting for a phone call. She remembered those days.

"Hey, Keesha, are you going to be up for another thirty minutes or so. I'm just proofing my education psychology paper and I'm almost done."

"Uh, we can just talk tomorrow," Keesha said.

"No, I want to talk to you, I can take a break. Maybe fresher eyes will be better to spot any errors anyway," AJ said.

"It really isn't a big deal. I'm sorry, I'll let you go."

"I'm not going to force you to talk to me, but if you're calling because you feel like things are weird now after lunch, I understand and I want us to talk through this. I just didn't want to say something hastily and regret it."

"Ok," Keesha said.

"Maybe we're overthinking this. I'm not dating your cousin so, unless you share his perspective, perhaps we just focus on our own relationship. Or maybe that is over simplified."

"I want to be more enlightened than my cousin and believe it doesn't matter. But I'm afraid you're right, unfortunately, that is over simplified. It has only been thirty years since the Supreme Court determined that anti-miscgenation laws were unconstitutional. Several states still have laws on their books which would make it illegal for us to marry."

"So, we won't move to South Carolina or Alabama. I know it's ridiculous and I know I will never really understand your cousin's experiences as a black man but I believe I love you and that has to count for something."

"I get the impression that Dr. Tom Hardy said many of the same things to Dr. Simone Ravelle. Their marriage didn't last."

"No, but maybe that really had nothing to do with them being a biracial couple. Or maybe it did, but even if it did, that doesn't have to be us. We aren't them."

"From what Justus has said I get the impression that fidelity with Tom was difficult for Simone. There was question if Tom was really Tommy's father because she and Dr. Davis had a fling right after she married Tom. Justus at least believes that Tom and Simone's marriage was really over before they got involved."

"But you didn't?" AJ asked.

"I guess I just feel like God never sends you someone else's husband or wife. What would it have hurt if Justus waited until the divorce was finalized to start having a romantic relationship with her?"

"That is reasonable, I agree."

"I guess I also think if you're convinced someone is your soulmate then you hang in there and work through the hard times. I think Justus gave up on Simone far too easily if he really loved her."

"Maybe, or maybe there is just a lot we can never understand from the outside looking in."

"Maybe, and don't misunderstand, I completely understand that sometimes you have to know when you have to let go, like with Jason, but in Justus and Simone's case I don't see it. Of course, I guess that was kind of your point."

"Something like that, so, are we ok?"

"We're ok, at least until you try to whisk me off to Alabama," Keesha said.

"Sounds good, what if I take you to the Outback on Friday night. Ned is playing and I guess Mac and Felicia are donating the cover to the Charles Street Foundation."

"I would love to go with you. Do you need a ride to campus in the morning?"

"If you can. I spent the afternoon driving the minivan because I did school pickup and then took everyone to soccer. But, yeah, I would love to have my BMW back."

"So, I guess Brenda isn't feeling better," Keesha said.

"She says she is just over tired from studying."

"She doesn't look well. Didn't your mom get her set up with some doctor last summer when she was so anemic."

"Yes, Dr. Cahill, maybe you can mention that."

"Oh, so I get to be the meddling friend."

"No, you get to be the concerned friend because I can't see you doing anything else. I love you. Sleep well and I'll see you in the morning."

"I love you too, goodnight," Keesha said. She replaced the handset and then padded into the bathroom to brush her teeth and finish getting ready for bed.

XXXXXXXX

Scott Baldwin opened the door to see Dr. Evelyn Lambert standing on his door step. "Uh, hey, I was going to call you. I've just been a little bit busy," he said sheepishly.

"The police came to talk to me at the hospital yesterday," Eve said as she stepped inside.

Scott had intentionally kept her name out of things but he supposed they had figured it out somehow. "I'm sorry, I didn't want you to get pulled into this," he said.

"Well, it's a little late for that!" Eve fumed as she crossed the room and sank down onto his couch. "So, what exactly do they think you did?" she asked a moment later.

Scott caught her phrasing. She hadn't already convicted him. Perhaps that was a start. "I've been charged with rape 1. I am innocent I assure you, but I understand if now you have even more reason to fear being associated with me."

"Are you innocent because in your opinion it was consensual sex?" Eve asked.

"No, I'm innocent because I never had any sexual contact with the alleged victim and I never would," Scott asserted.

"Ok…"

"Ok?"

"So, what happens now?"

"I will eventually get indicted because it is rare for grand juries to not indict and then we will go to trial. That is where in an ideal world I prove my innocence. In the real world who knows?"

"I'm sorry. Does Serena know what is happening."

"Serena is with my sister and her husband. Child Protective filed a CHINS petition at the same time the DA filed felony charges."

"Wow! I had no idea. Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't even know anymore," Scott said. He didn't. He had essentially been trapped in his worst nightmare since Saturday morning. Every day he spent away from his daughter he lost even more of his faith in the justice system.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine opened the door to the 5th Floor Pediatrics Unit with an exhausted sigh. Saying it was a long day would not be an exaggeration. She had never made it home before she ended up getting called with a STEMI. She took the patient to the cardiac catheterization lab for a successful angioplasty and stent to their Right Coronary Artery. Immediately after she finished that the ED was paging her about a patient with unstable atrial fibrillation who required cardioversion. She got that patient admitted to the CCU just in time to be in the right place at the right time to intubate on of Dr. Devlin's cardiomyopathy patients. Or perhaps she was, nursing was complaining that they had been telling Dr. Devlin all day that the patient wasn't going to turn around with BiPAP.

By the time she had completed the intubation, wrote ventilator orders and taken care of all of the necessary documentation it was nine-fifteen and she realized with a pang she wouldn't get a chance to put Katelyn and Serena to bed. She had attempted to prepare them for that reality at breakfast but that didn't really make it sting any less from her perspective. She had finally literally had her coat on and been about to walk out the door at nine-thirty when she had received the page from pediatrics.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Quartermaine, but Mr. Longsworth is adamant that something must be done now!" Meg Lawson said once she exited the stairwell.

"Just so I know what I am walking into, by Mr. Longsworth do you mean Stuart Sr.; Stuart Jr.; or Stuart III?"

Stuart Longsworth Sr. was about ten or fifteen years older than her father in law. He was real estate investor who had founded Longsworth Realty back in the 1950s. He and her father in law had collaborated on some deals and competed on others. They were friends at least when it was convenient and perhaps even when it was less convenient. He had also been on the hospital board until about ten years ago when he seemed to pass the torch to his son Stuart Longsworth Jr. who was handling most of the day to day affairs of Longsworth Realty. Stuart Longsworth III was a few years younger than her brother in law, John Quartermaine. He was actually Audra's father but from her experiences marrying into and raising children in the Quartermaine family she could understand if he and his wife, Jeanette, were unable to get a word in about their own child over the overpowering voices of the rest of the family.

"I seriously have no clue. Maybe all of the above, there are like ten family members in that room. Maybe if they would all just go home and let that poor child rest then this fever which they are so obsessed with would break," Meg said.

"How high is the fever?" Monica asked.

"When I took her vitals fifteen minutes ago it was 103.4. It's been somewhere around 103 most of the day."

Monica reached for Audra Longsworth's chart from the rack, opened it on the counter and turned to the orders section and started to write. "What I explained to Audra's parents this morning was that she had all of the clinical criteria of Kawasaki Disease except for five days of fever. Her mother says she first felt warm Friday night so I guess we've finally reached that fifth day, or night in this case and we can go ahead and start high dose aspirin and the IVIg Infusion. My original plan was to start in the morning if she was still febrile just because I would rather we have all hands on deck if she should have an adverse reaction to the IVIg but if they are adamant they want to start tonight we can," she said.

"Do you want me to tube everything to Pharmacy?"

"You're going to need to tube the IVIg. I presume you have chewable aspirin in the Pyxis so you can pull that. I'm going to go in and talk to the parents and see if they want to start the IVIg tomorrow or right now. You can bring the aspirin in because we're going to give that tonight regardless," Monica said. Then she took a deep cleansing breath, released it, and prepared herself for the likely chaos contained behind the door of room 522.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton curled up on the love seat of the sitting room of her new master suite flipping through some catalogues that the interior designer from Wyndham's had dropped off. She was supposed to be helping Carly design the nursery. Carly found the whole process both exhilarating and intimidating at the same time.

"Oh, that is nice," Ned said as he passed behind the couch and paused to point at a crib.

Carly considered the crib. It was very nice; it just cost more than many people spent on cars. Of course, Ned did drive a new Miata.

"Or not, I meant it when I said that the nursery theme and furniture selections were up to you. I know a lot of this pregnancy has been stressful for various reasons so I think it will be good for you to have fun with this. I scheduled the painters for this Thursday and I arranged for us to stay in one of the family suites at the PC Hotel on Thursday and Friday. That way you won't have to worry about the paint fumes."

"Don't you have that meeting on Friday?" Carly asked. When they had lunch with Amy and Chloe on Monday, Amy had mentioned the Deception Cosmetics Shareholder's Meeting. It had kind of sounded like a big deal.

"Exactly, so that will be a convenient time to stay at the hotel since there is a cocktail party at Evening Song in the hotel Thursday evening and then the Shareholder's Meeting is being held in one of the hotel conference rooms on Friday morning. Would you like me to book a Spa session for you on Friday?" Ned asked.

"Sure, that would be great. I need a manicure although maybe I should go on Thursday afternoon and then I'll look presentable for the cocktail party."

"I could book both days. The massage therapist is certified so you could get a pregnancy massage on Friday."

"Now that sounds heavenly," Carly said.

"I'll take care of it first thing in the morning. I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I have a board meeting at eight and I want to go the gym before that. Don't stay up too late. You and the baby both need your rest," Ned said. He gave her shoulder a compassionate squeeze and then went into the master bedroom proper.

Carly flipped through a few more pages of the catalogue before she reached for the cordless phone and dialed a familiar number.

XXXXXXXX

In her West side Manhattan apartment, Simone Torres adeptly saved her file with one hand while reaching for the cordless phone with the other. "Yeah, what?" she asked.

"Good grief Simone, it's almost ten pm. I can't be waking you up this time," her friend Carly Ashton grumbled.

"Waking me up, no! Interrupting my creative process, that is a different matter entirely. But, since you have already done that, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to let you know everything looks good with the baby."

"I'm glad. Are you and Ned hoping for a natural birth?"

"Oh, gosh, I hope not! Apparently if you wait too long then sometimes it gets too late to do the epidural. That better not happen to me," Carly said.

"Didn't Mr. Mosher ask you if the L in your middle initial stood for Late in fourth grade. Ned strikes me as a super organized and punctual person so maybe he will drag you along. By the way, make sure you give Ned my cell number in case he can't reach me at home. I better be the first non-family person to hold your little guy. I'm also calling dibs on Godmother!" Simone said.

"Ned's cousin Jason is going to be the Godfather but I guess that means I should get to pick the Godmother," Carly said.

"That sounds reasonable. So, is everything else ok?" Simone asked. Carly might be her oldest friend, and really the only one who had any idea she had grown up in a trailer park in Miami but she and Carly had probably spoken more in the past month than they had in the past year and she had a feeling there was a reason for that.

"Sure, everything is fine; marriage is just an adjustment I guess," Carly said.

"Did you and Ned have a fight?"

"No! Ned has been amazing. He hired this designer to help me with the nursery and he's arranging for the painters to come on Thursday and we'll stay at the hotel for a few days to get away from the paint fumes. Can't I just miss my best friend?" Carly asked.

"Sure," Simone said but she still had a feeling there was a lot more Carly wasn't telling her. It would eventually come out. It always did.


	39. Chapter 35:In (and out of) the Boardroom

October 8, 1997

Ned Ashton was hardly surprised to see his grandfather already waiting inside the Board Room at Port Charles General Hospital when he arrived at quarter of eight. His Grandfather held the belief that tardiness began at least ten, if not fifteen, minutes before the agreed upon meeting time.

"Good morning, Grandfather," Ned said as he sat down across the table from him.

"Did you know that Ross Chandler plans on coming back to Cortlandt Industries?" Edward asked.

Ned wasn't sure it was really considered coming back since he didn't think Ross had ever worked at Cortlandt Industries. Although he was Palmer Cortlandt's son he had been raised by his maternal uncle, Adam Chandler and had been a Chandler Executive as far back as Ned had any interest of Corporate America. "I think Celia mentioned something about that. Apparently, our material sciences division is doing a site survey of that old military base in Corinth, PA. Cortlandt Industries is considering purchasing the property."

"That I didn't know. Just make sure your cousin understands the man is a convicted rapist. Under no circumstances should she consider taking a meeting with him alone."

Ned doubted that would be a problem. Celia had lost any trace of naivete during her brief marriage to the sociopath Grant Andrews. He had quite literally tried to kill her. "I think Celia would tell you that she can take care of herself," Ned said.

"Exactly, which is why I am mentioning this all to you so you can suggest it in a way that she will take heed. Also, your grandmother is concerned about your other cousin, Amy. She fears that Katherine is leaving her to do the lion's share of the work."

Ned had as little as possible to do with the day to day operations of Deception Cosmetics but he could agree that his grandmother's assessment was likely accurate. He also knew that the arrangement suited Amy perfectly. Or at least as perfectly as anything could suit her after everything she had been through. "Tell grandmother that I will touch base with Amy again. When we spoke last week, she said everything was fine and that her new assistant is great," he said as the door to the board room opened and his uncle, Dr. Alan Quartermaine stepped inside.

Alan glanced quickly at the clock on the wall which read six minutes before eight and then released a sigh. "I was afraid I was going to be late. I scheduled a seven AM hernia repair and anesthesia got a late start. Fortunately, the procedure went smoothly and very swiftly and here I am."

"Where is your wife?" Edward asked.

"His wife is right here," Dr. Monica Quartermaine said as she also came through the door into the board room with her brother, Scott Baldwin and her father, Lee Baldwin. Scott was also a board member and Lee was hospital pro-counsel along with Alexis Davis.

"You seem to be forgetting that some of us need to make rounds before these eight AM meetings, Edward," Monica said as she grabbed a bottle of water from the refreshments table and sat down at the table.

Stuart Longsworth Jr., Eleanor Farnsworth Murdoch, and Amanda Barrington trickled in moments before eight o'clock and then just before the clock ticked eight o'clock Alexis Davis joined them.

Edward Quartermaine scowled in Alexis's general direction. "Your cousin is late. When Steve Hardy was the CEO of this hospital, he was always punctual."

Alexis looked flustered as she shuffled through a stack of folders, perhaps to avoid Edward's eyes. "Stefan may have been detained with traffic," she offered without looking up.

"Dr. Monica Quartermaine, to the PICU STAT. Dr. Monica Quartermaine, PICU," the overhead paging system blared.

When Monica stepped out, Edward turned to Stuart Longsworth Jr. "I hope that isn't relating to your granddaughter," he said.

"Oh, no, Audra is admitted up on 5 East in the new Pediatrics Unit your family donated. Joey called this morning to say that the fever was going down after they did the infusion. Audrey says I should apologize to Monica. I think dad and I were a little hard on her last night. I reread over the information about that IVIg and I think now I understand that she just wanted to be certain of the diagnosis before she started it because there are risks. Apparently, Monica was thinking of all the right things and made the diagnosis so quickly that Audra didn't technically even meet the criteria until last night ," Stuart said.

"I'll pass on your apology. I think you'll find that Monica has become quite adept at respecting and diplomatically dealing with assertive advocacy even if it goes against the medical literature, or her personal beliefs. She is a Quartermaine after all," Alan said.

Amanda and Eleanor laughed.

"I think you're forgetting she has been a Baldwin much longer than a Quartermaine," Scott challenged.

"Touche! Alexis, do you think Stefan will be arriving soon? I hate to suggest we should start without him but I have another case scheduled for nine AM and I would hate to hold up the OR schedule," Alan said.

"Yes, and I have a meeting at ELQ at ten. Unlike some people, I believe in being a punctual CEO," Edward said.

Alexis continued shuffling her folders as if that would cause her cousin to appear. Perhaps it would.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine listened as the PICU attending, Dr. Robert Lake, told her about the sixteen-year-old female who had presented intoxicated to the ED late Frida night. Apparently, her blood alcohol level had been 0.12 and her drug screen had been positive for both cocaine and ectasy. She had been admitted to Dr. May's service early Saturday morning due to concerns for early rhabdomyolysis and was treated with a bicarbonate infusion. She had improved and was going to be discharged on Monday but had syncopized so the discharge was cancelled. The syncope work up hadn't revealed much although the patient had refused echocardiogram and EKG. Early in the morning her rhythm had gone into atrial fibrillation with rates in the 140s-150s and she had been transferred to the PICU.

"So, I'm not really sure about a Beta Blocker since she used cocaine a few days ago."

"That is a concern, although less likely if she really hasn't used anything since Friday. I would wonder if she did get something last night or early this morning which explains the rhythm disturbance. You might want to repeat the drug screen along with CMP, CBC, coags, free T4/TSH, CK with cardiacs and an EKG. I would give Diltiazem 10mg IV push now and then start a drip at 5mg/hr. Do her parents know that you are consulting me specifically?"

"Isn't Dr. Kirk out of town?" Dr. Lake asked.

"He is, and I am willing to see this consult as long as the patient and her parents are in agreement with that. If they aren't then I can make hypothetical recommendations to help you get her a bit more stable and then you're going to need to transfer to another hospital with pediatric cardiology and PICU beds available."

"Yeah, I explained that, they aren't happy but they will see you."

"Ok, why don't you get the Diltiazem started and I will let cardiac procedures know that I will need the echocardiogram machine for a bedside echocardiogram," Monica said. She took and released another deep breath before she picked up the phone. She had a feeling that dealing with the Petersons was not going to be a pleasant experience.

XXXXXXXX

Stefan Cassadine glanced at his watch and frowned as he took quick strides down the connector from the Port Charles General Hospital North Wing to the Administrative Pavillion. It did not do to have the CEO be late for a board meeting as a matter of course and he was certain that Edward Quartermaine was chastising his tardiness. He had made the mistake of stopping at Wyndemere to retrieve a file and been surprised to find Katherine Bell on his desk. By the time he pried himself from her clutches and caught the launch over to the mainland it was impossible that he might arrive at the hospital by eight AM.

Nevertheless, it was futile to lament the situation further. So, with a deep breath, he exited the elevator, pulled the boardroom door open confidently, and stepped inside.

Edward Quartermaine extended a look of disgust. "Good morning Mr. Cassadine, itis about time you showed up. We just finished going over the quarterly financials and approved the expenses. Now, onto new business…Discussion of potential collaboration with Mercy Hospital. Let's be frank, I think that is a bad idea. Any other discussion," he said.

"I reached out to Monseigneur Farrington, he is interested in a cooperative strategic plan," Stefan said.

"How can we enter into a cooperative plan with a hospital that started trying to overtake our hospital before our former CEO was even buried. Steve Hardy would consider that farcical and I do as well," Edward asserted.

"While I would be wary to consider a cooperative plan based on history, HRSA has been calling for community integration. If we plan to file any certificate of needs for expansion, we will need to justify them in the context of the health care resources of Chapparal County. I could see sharing information to allow both facilities to better target resources but I will oppose any lead in to a merger," Dr. Alan Quartermaine said.

"There are no plans to merge the two facilities. I assure you that neither the Monseigneur nor I want that," Stefan Cassadine said. It was a bald lie but no one else at the table seemed to notice.

XXXXXXXX

When she stepped into Tiffany Perkins' room Dr. Monica Quartermaine took note that the Diltiazem Drip had been started and the heart rate displayed on the monitor ranged from 100-120. Because of the irregular irregularity of atrial fibrillation heart rates seemed to be all over.

"Dr. Lake filled me in on your hospital course thus far. I would like to do a quick exam and then we can discuss my recommendations unless you have any questions you want to ask before I do that."

Tiffany Peterson crossed her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

After performing her physical exam, Monica coiled her stethoscope back into her pocket and was just about to speak when Faye Peterson came back into the room.

"Just let me be clear I don't have anything against you, Monica," Faye said as she sat down.

"I understand that the situation is awkward. Our most reasonable approach is likely to focus solely on Tiffany's cardiac issues. I'm not sure how much Dr. May or Dr. Lake may have explained but your daughter's heart went into an abnormal rhythm this morning. It is something we call atrial fibrillation. I started an infusion which should slow the heart rate and hopefully also result in the rhythm normalizing back to sinus," Monica said.

"What if that doesn't work?" Faye asked.

"In that case, then we may consider using a synchronized cardioversion but we would have to do more tests before we could be sure it would be safe. For now, we're going to check some lab work, and obtain an echocardiogram or ultrasound of the heart to exclude an anatomic cause."

"That other doctor said this was from those drugs your brother gave her. I notified the police detectives to come back and see if there are more charges they need to file," Faye said.

"Mother! I told you I didn't want to talk to them!" Tiffany protested.

"While both ecstasy and cocaine intoxication can cause dysrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, it would be unlikely for them to cause this three or four days after exposure," Monica said. She didn't explain to Mrs. Peterson that in her professional opinion, the atrial fibrillation likely was related to ecstasy use. She strongly suspected that the repeat drugs screen Dr. Lake was sending would be positive indicating more recent use. That was not going to be a fun conversation and there was no reason to start down that road without being sure that there had been repeated use.

"Is that all?" Faye asked.

"Unless you have any questions. Someone will be coming to do the echocardiogram and we will discuss more after I have had a chance to read the echocardiogram and review the labs I asked Dr. Lake to send."

"Ok, well thank you. I am going to give your name to Detective Garcia. He may want to talk to you."

"Of course, we always cooperate with law enforcement as allowed while maintaining patient confidentiality," Monica said and then she carefully exited the room before she said something she would surely regret.

Trina Curtis was standing immediately outside the door. "Hey Dr. Quartermaine, Dr. Lake wants us to call you with any questions about the Diltiazem Drip."

"That is fine."

"Ok, great, and they should be coming to do the echo in about thirty minutes. The tech said she would flag it in the system for your STAT read."

"Yes, thank you," Monica said.

"Dr. Quartermaine, there is a call for you," the unit clerk called.

Monica walked around the counter and picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Dr. Quartermaine."

"Hello, Dr. Quartermaine, this is also Dr. Quartermaine. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok. I'm about to go scrub on my next case."

"Dr. Lake just needed a STAT consult on a patient transferred up from 5 East. I have taken care of that and I am about to go find my resident so I can round. I need to do a TEE for one of Dr. Cahill's patients but I should be getting out of here early enough to get a nap before I pick up the kids at school. How was the board meeting?"

"SJ Longsworth sang your praises. Stefan Cassadine was about ten minutes late so father let him have it. We discussed a collaborative agreement with Mercy Health Systems but it was tabled until we have had a chance to do more due diligence. Have a good day; I love you. I have second trauma call so I may be here for a while."

"Thanks, I love you too!" Monica said. With a smile she realized that every day she was more convinced of that fact. She and Alan had been through a lot but they were going to get through a lot more.


	40. Chapter 36: Twisting in the Spiderweb

In the study at Wyndemere, Katherine Bell debated her next move. She had looked up Stefan's flight online and determined that without car service delays or launch snafus he would likely be returning to Wyndemere a hare after seven. So, she had been waiting on his desk with croissants and coffee wearing the skimpiest of teddys. She had envisioned that they would retreat to Stefan's private suite to make love. That hadn't happened.

Instead, Stefan had seemed rushed and stressed when he came into the study. Katherine was sure it was her imagination he almost seemed disappointed to see her. She had wrapped her nubile limbs around him anyway and he had literally pulled himself from her embrace and ignored her to ruffle through drawers. Eventually he had retrieved some file and left claiming he was late for a hospital board meeting.

She had tried to not take that personally. She knew that Stefan was a busy man; a very important man. She had decided to touch up her makeup and hair and then retire to Stefan's suite. Regrettably, Mrs. Lansbury had chosen that exact moment to clean the suite. So, she had returned to the study to wait. Except she was wondering if simply leaving might be the more alluring option. Perhaps it was time to remind Stefan that she was not to be taken for granted.

XXXXXXXX

"Where were you this morning?" Alexis Davis asked her cousin after they had returned to his office at Port Charles General Hospital.

"I was unavoidably detained, which I would have explained if Edward Quartermaine had allowed me to speak," Stefan said flatly.

Edward Quartermaine was the current Chair of the Port Charles General Hospital Board. At best, he tolerated her cousin as hospital CEO. At worst, he was actively trying to find a loophole that allowed him to terminate Stefan without majority board approval. Alexis had reviewed Stefan's contract and had negotiated that particular clause so she knew that Edward needed to get a 2/3 majority to fire her cousin. Of course, considering that seven out of ten board members were personal friends or family of Edward, Alexis felt anything but reassured.

"I have no clue why you wanted this job in the first place, or why you want to keep it, but if you do then you need to be careful. Edward only needs seven votes to remove you. He has four just from himself and his family. Amanda Barrington and Lee Baldwin are close friends. Now, Lee can't vote as pro-counsel but he can certainly guide his son's vote. Or maybe he doesn't even need to since Scott Baldwin is pretty close to his brother in law, Dr. Alan Quartermaine. Basically, your fate is in the hands of Director of Nursing, Audrey Hardy, Eleanor Farnsworth Murdoch, and Stuart Longsworth. The Longsworths currently consider Dr. Monica Quartermaine a hero because she made some rare diagnosis and their granddaughter is getting better so I wouldn't count on him voting against the Quartermaine contingent."

"I suspect that Edward Quartermaine will have enough pressing concerns in his own business that dethroning me as CEO will hardly be a worthy consideration," Stefan said.

Alexis wondered about that. She knew better to question Stefan though. "I will leave that to your discretion," she said.

"I appreciate that."

"There is another matter we should discuss. Please understand that this is not idle curiosity on my part, but did you and Katherine part at least somewhat amicably?"

"Explain the reasoning for your question!"

"I saw Katherine dining with Nikolas at the PC Grille. I am afraid that Katherine may try to retaliate against you through Nikolas."

"That is not possible!"

"Because she is such an upstanding moral person? Oh please! She tried to extort Scott Baldwin. She raped Ned Ashton! I don't think morality really applies."

"Unfortunately, I have not yet had a chance to tell Katherine that our relationship can be no longer," Stefan said.

"Stefan! You promised you were going to tell her last week."

"I will end things today," Stefan said.

"You must," Alexis said. Yet, as she headed off to what seemed sure to be another fruitless contract negotiation with Dr. Rachel Locke at Murdoch, Drake, & Lansing she contemplated all that her lies had set in motion. If the truth ever came out, then Stefan would understand that she had acted on his behalf with only his best interests at heart. That was what family did. Of course, they were Cassadines. The latter made Alexis even more desperate that the truth must never come out.

XXXXXXXX

Amy Elizabeth Morgan glanced up from her computer when her cousin appeared in the doorway.

"Your secretary seems to be AWOL. Don't tell me that Katherine has usurped another of your secretaries!" Ned Ashton said as he stepped into her office.

Amy laughed. Although that hadn't happened again, yet, it was likely that it would happen sometime soon in fact. "I sent Danielle to pick up the binders from the printers and, as far as I know, Lacey is still working for Katherine," she said.

"Well, that's good," Ned said as he sat down on the couch against the far wall of her office.

Amy noted that her cousin did not look comfortable. She suspected that his visit was at the direction of her sister or her Great Aunt Lila, rather than his own accord. "So did Aunt Lila or my sister put you up to this little visit?"

"If you must know, Grandfather mentioned that Grandmother was concerned that Katherine was leaving you to do all the work. That is kind of stating the obvious but I told Grandfather I would check in and make sure you didn't need anything before the shareholder's meeting."

"Or after Chloe's visit?" Amy asked.

"That too, listen, this is probably highly hypocritical coming from me but maybe you should consider telling your sister what you told me. You used to be so close once."

"I was a different person before. Maybe we both were, but I definitely was."

"I'm sorry," Ned said quietly.

"I know. I am too, and to answer your original question, we should be fine for Friday. The third quarter figures look great too!"

"See, I told Grandfather you had the situation well under control," Ned said.

Amy smiled even though she was pretty sure Ned had no illusion she had much of anything under control.

XXXXXXXX

As he sat at his desk, Stefan Cassadine accepted he had taken spineless to a new level. Katherine was predictable. He had correctly presumed that she would not be deterred by his early morning rejection. He had correctly suspected that she would merely take up residence in his bed to await his return. So, he had arranged for Mrs. Lansbury to deep clean his suite and pack up any and all of Katherine's possessions. Then he had left Alfred and Cyrus to do his dirty work and physically remove Katherine from Wyndemere and Spoon Island.

As spineless as his actions were, they were truly his only option. _After all, how did one speak from heart and admit that they had consummated a relationship with their half-sister? One did not. One could not. He could not._

Stefan passed a few staccato breaths and then picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Alexis's in-house extension. "It is done," he said.

"It is for the best, Stefan," Alexis assured him.

Stefan ignored his cousin's attempt at empathy. _They were Cassadines after all._ "Did Dr. Locke sign the contract?" he asked.

"No and, at this point, I don't think she has any intention of doing so. She wants more money than any of the other psychiatrists are getting. She also doesn't want to take anywhere near her share of call. I think we're past a point where we can come to an agreement so I'm going to ask, do we even need to?"

"Dr. Locke is critical to the long-term strategic plan of the hospital. We discussed this before."

"We discussed that Dr. Locke was going to be Dr. Collins' supervising physician but then Dr. Collins' privileges were reinstated in July with Dr. Baldwin as his supervising physician."

"I would prefer that Dr. Baldwin not be Dr. Collins' supervising physician," Stefan said.

"Well, she isn't anymore, and that is kind of my point. Medical Executive Committee suspended Dr. Collins' privileges last month so I don't see why we need to keep pursuing Dr. Locke."

"Why was I not informed before the Medical Executive Committee suspended Dr. Collins' privileges? I thought I made it clear I was to be kept informed on these matters."

"Apparently he abandoned patients. Dr. Grabler and Dr. Baldwin had to take over all his inpatients. Dr. Baldwin managed to reach him eventually and he claimed he had a family emergency. Notably he also had a family emergency right before he started stalking Felicia Jones as well. So, can I please stop trying to negotiate a contract with Dr. Locke?"

"Are you even listening to me, Alexis? I told you that Dr. Locke is critical to the long-term strategic plan of the hospital!" Stefan said. Then before she could respond he terminated the connection. Sometimes he feared that Alexis overestimated her importance in the family hierarchy.

XXXXXXXX

Katherine Bell didn't believe a word she had just read. Stefan had informed her, by messenger no less, that their relationship had exceeded it's usefulness. He had claimed that he had no true feelings for her but felt that it was the most expedient way to resolve the incident from the prior December when he had inadvertently shot her. _Clearly his cousin Alexis needed professional help if she thought she would be run off so easily, or that she was above tattling back to Stefan._

Wearing a smug smile, Katherine dialed the number for Stefan's private cell phone. Shockingly she was greeted with an ear-piercing tone after which she was informed that the cellular customer she was trying to reach was no longer active. _Had Alexis gone so far as to disconnect Stefan's cellular service? Did Alexis even have that ability? Was it possible that the letter actually had come from Stefan?_

"Ms. Bell, your eleven thirty appointment is here," Lacey's voice echoed through the intercom system and pulled Katherine from her thoughts.

Still unsettled, Katherine did her best to pull herself together when Steffi Brewster Alden walked into her office. "Good morning," she croaked.

"Good morning. Thank you for adding me to consideration," Steffi gushed.

Katherine saw a lot of physical similarities between Steffi Alden and Brenda Barrett from their dark hair and eyes to delicate features. There were even similarities to Ryan Fenelli and Ashley Brent who she had interviewed the day before, although Ashley had a more mature look. Apparently, her marketing director, Stewie Lloyd, thought that a certain type worked for the campaign. Or maybe he thought that Katherine had a certain type. He had no idea that when Katherine had hired Brenda Barrett in December 1993 it had almost nothing to do with her face and almost everything to do with her name.

"Of course, I am familiar with your work for the Armourelle Campaign for Lady Alden. Tell me what you have done since 1995," Katherine said.

Steffi appeared uncomfortable as she shifted what little weight she had uneasily in her chair. "I got married and we had our first child in 1996. I wanted to wait until our daughter was a bit older before returning to modeling."

Katherine smiled. She wasn't about to tip her hand but she was aware that Steffi Brewster had married perhaps the sole surviving Alden family heir, Cooper Alden, on New Year's Eve 1995. Although most of the family coffers had been depleted settling the wrongful death actions brought against Gwyneth Alden's Estate and the Lady Alden Soap Company had been absorbed into Enchantment Cosmetics in early 1996 the family still owned the physical campus of Alden University and appeared to be resurrecting the original Alden Family hedge fund.

"Do you realize that this is a spokesmodel position and will require extensive travel?" Katherine asked.

"That is why I have a great nanny!" Steffi said. She flashed a coy smile but Katherine saw insecurity beneath the forced confident veneer. She could exploit that! She had a feeling she had just found the next Face of Deception.


	41. Chapter 37: Truth and Lies

As she walked up Lilac Drive towards Lilac Park Elementary School Dr. Monica Quartermaine held tightly to her three-year-old daughter's hand.

"I like you, Mommy," Katelyn Quartermaine said.

"I love you, Katelyn," Monica replied to her daughter's apparent non sequitar. It was definitely better than the alternative.

"AJ didn't let us walk yesterday," Katelyn announced.

"Right, because you had to go directly to your soccer practice on the fields at Community Commons. Today we're going home. Tomorrow Brenda will probably want to drive because Serena has ballet."

"You're silly, Mommy! Ballet is in the morning; Grandma takes me while Brenda goes to school."

"Your ballet class is on Thursday mornings. Serena is in a class for older kids with your cousin Shannon which meets Thursday afternoons," Monica said as they reached the elementary school and started up the walk to the main entrance.

"Why can't I be in Serena and Shannon's class?" Katelyn asked.

"Because you're three," Monica said as she pulled the door open and then held it allowing Katelyn to step inside.

Katelyn seemed to contemplate her words for a moment as they started down the hallway to the lower elementary wing where Serena's kindergarten class was. Then she looked up at her mother. "I'm not going to always be three! I will be four in March!" she said.

Monica smiled and suppressed a laugh. "That is true," she agreed as they reached Ms. Matthews classroom.

Regina Matthews had been in the Port Charles High class of 1979 along with Monica's brother in law John Quartermaine. Apparently, Regina considered John Quartermaine the one who got away. Although technically, John had only left town five years after he had already married Abigail Donely.

Ms. Matthews' room was semi chaos, with the emphasis on chaos, when Monica stepped inside and scanned the room for her niece. She spotted her near the coat closet where Kiefer Bauer was holding her backpack over his head.

After recognizing that Ms. Matthews wasn't going to intervene, Monica picked Katelyn up to remove her from the fray and walked across the classroom. "Kiefer, give Serena her backpack so we can go," she said.

Kiefer shoved the backpack at Serena. Monica adeptly braced herself against her niece to steady her without toppling over herself with Katelyn. In the afterglow she internally complimented her balance. Perhaps her martial arts were paying off.

"That isn't nice! You are not nice!" Serena said.

"At least my dad isn't in jail!" Kiefer fired back.

Monica just wrapped an arm around her niece and led her from the classroom. She attempted to make eye contact with Ms. Matthews to let her know they were leaving but the woman seemed to refuse to meet her eyes.

"Kiefer is lying right?" Serena asked once they were in the hallway.

Monica led her niece away from the swarm of exiting students and parents and crouched down so she was at eye level. "Your father is not in jail Serena, he hasn't been convicted of anything, and he won't be if your grandfather has anything to say about it. However, your father is facing charges and that is why you are staying with us for a while. Kiefer was very unkind to take your backpack and shove you but I think while unkind and tactless I think Kiefer believed what he told you to be true," she said.

"Daddy always says that Kiefer is an example that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Serena said.

Monica swallowed hard. Her brother felt that fellow attorney Warren Bauer was a rather unintelligent bully. Their professional worlds had intersected in early 1996 when Scott had prosecuted Cameron Faulkner Jr. for the rape of his secretary in 1995. Graff, Fowler, & Bauer had Warren been overseeing the Faulkner Family Trust at the time so Warrren Bauer had defended his client by trying his victim. Ultimately the jury had convicted but Lexi Starnes had attempted suicide days after the trial and Warren Bauer had appeared on several talk shows insisting that her suicide attempt was proof that she had really made the whole thing up. Monica didn't want to explain any of that to Serena but she was struck by the similarities between that case and the accusations against her brother. The difference was that Scott really was innocent.

"I don't think your father thinks that Kiefer's father is a particularly kind or compassionate individual. Children learn a lot about how to treat others by watching how their parents treat others. Your father takes that responsibility seriously, sadly, some parents don't."

"Is that why daddy is working so hard to get all of this straightened out?" Serena asked.

"Yes, exactly! Come on, let's go find your cousin Kirk on the playground so we can go home," Monica said as she stood up, and led her daughter and niece out of the building.

XXXXXXXX

Lucy Coe relaxed as Rex's jaguar sped along route 60 into Port Charles. Thirty minutes earlier Rex had surprised her at Temptations! and announced that he had completed such a productive, and lucrative, morning trading session that he needed to take the afternoon off and spend it with the woman he was doing it all for. So now they were on their way back into Port Charles and Rex had promised a surprise. Lucy could hardly wait!

"So, I know that you have been missing Serena," Rex said.

"I have, I hate that Scott is keeping us apart like this," Lucy said. She knew that her words employed a bit of creative license. Scott had never truly forbidden her from seeing Serena.

 _September 9, 1997_

 _Lucy Coe was fuming as she pounded on Scott Baldwin's door. How dare he try to take Serena away? Didn't he realize that Serena wouldn't even exist if it hadn't been for her?_

 _Scott Baldwin pulled the front door open and Lucy nearly toppled inside._

 _"_ _I have a bone to pick with you, Pal!" Lucy screamed._

 _"_ _Please keep your voice down. Serena is asleep upstairs," Scott said._

 _Lucy hated that he could be so calm. "I can't believe that you are trying to keep Serena away from her family!"_

 _"_ _I can't believe that you blatantly lied to me where Serena was concerned. You know I don't want her around Rex Stanton."_

 _"_ _But that is ridiculous. Rex is her Uncle. Dominique would want them to have a relationship."_

 _"_ _I doubt that. From the few things Dominique shared about her uncle I am quite certain she would not want me to let Serena go anywhere alone with him. Regardless, Serena doesn't feel comfortable around him and I'm not going to push the issue."_

 _"_ _You wouldn't even have Serena if it wasn't for me!"_

 _Scott's face paled. He didn't say anything for a moment. "Dominique and I were both grateful that you carried Serena for nine months when she couldn't. In some ways I will always owe you a debt that I can never repay but I can't take any chances with Serena's safety. I think it would be best if you spent time with Serena only at the house for a while," he said._

 _"_ _You're making a mistake!" Lucy fumed. She opened the front door and stormed out._

She hadn't returned to the Baldwin house after that night. She had been mad and then she had gotten busy. Rex had quite literally swept her off her feet, and into his bed.

"I hate to see you so distraught and I know this isn't what my niece would want so I decided that it was time I did something. I met with an attorney yesterday about our legal options."

"Our legal options?" Lucy asked.

"Originally I wanted to discuss with Mr. Bauer if we could petition for court ordered visitation under the grandparent's rights statute since Dominique and my brother are both dead someone needs to maintain Serena's connection to the Stanton side of the family."

"That is what I have been trying to convince Scott for the past three months!"

"So, Mr. Bauer mentioned that there was a significant chance that a judge would agree with our position but he also pointed out that since Scott doesn't have physical custody of his daughter currently that we might actually be more successful petitioning for custody."

"Scott doesn't have custody? What?!"

"Apparently Scott got arrested on Saturday and CPS filed a CHINS petition. Somehow the court placed Serena with the Quartermaines."

"Dr. Monica Quartermaine is Scott's sister," Lucy said. _Why was it that Monica always got everything? Alan, a seat on the hospital board, Serena, the list was endless._

"That I didn't realize. Mr. Bauer suggested that we should approach the Quartermaines and ask them to support us assuming custody."

"Do you really think that they would do that?" Lucy asked.

Rex smiled. "I can be very persuasive," he said.

Lucy contemplated that. _He could be very persuasive. Could it really mean that Serena could be hers?_ "Would you actually do that for me?" she asked.

"I would do that for you, or maybe rather for us. I was hoping we could raise Serena together. I think that is what Dominique would have wanted," Rex said.

"I agree. Let's do this for Dominque!" Lucy said.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine sat on the back patio flipping through a cardiology journal while watching her children play with their cousins. Dylan had come home after school with Kirk and they were messing around with a soccer ball in the back yard while Serena and Katelyn were swinging on the playset.

Monica was most of the way through the results of the trial of a new glycoprotein 2b3a inhibitor when she realized that Reginald had appeared by her shoulder. "Dr. Quartermaine, Ms. Coe is here to see you. She brought a friend."

"Reginald, I know that Edward still hasn't quite accepted life without servants and loves to treat you as his personal butler but I've told you, you don't need to answer the door."

"I didn't exactly answer the door. Mrs. Quartermaine and I were just returning from the Barringtons when they arrived. Mrs. Barrington had several of the ladies from the hospital auxiliary over for tea."

"I see. Ok, now this will make my earlier statement sound incredibly hypocritical, but would you mind showing Lucy and her friend into Alan and my study and then would you mind letting Brenda know I will need her to watch the kids outside for a few minutes while I speak with them."

"I wouldn't mind at all, Dr. Quartermaine."

"Thank you, Reginald," Monica said. As Reginald went back inside, she remembered the last time Lucy Coe had shown up at their house to speak with her. That had been unpleasant to say the least.

 _May 19, 1989_

 _Dr. Monica Quartermaine gently pulled the hall door to nursery closed after getting her twenty-two-month-old son down for the night. Alan was apparently still scrubbed in some trauma case so she supposed that he was going to miss out on family game night. She also remembered that it was Allison's turn to pick so they were likely playing twister. It was a good thing she was flexible._

 _Just as she was about to start down the west staircase, she saw her eldesr son AJ coming up the stairs. "Oh, is Robin's mom here to collect her?" she asked._

 _"_ _I think Robin was planning to spend the night, didn't you notice she came with three bags? Umm anyway, Lucy Coe is here. She says she needs to speak to you."_

 _Monica hadn't realized that Anna expected that her last minute babysitting request disguised as a playdate would extend overnight. Perhaps she should have. "Playdates" had certainly extended overnight in the past but Robin hadn't been thirteen then. She also doubted whatever Lucy had to say would be pleasant. Beyond that, she suspected that she was truly looking for Alan. She took a deep cleansing breath and exhaled slowly. "Thank you. Why don't you take your sister into the game room with Robin and Rosa and maybe you can get the Twister game set up. I will be in once I've spoken to Miss Coe."_

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _Monica closed the French doors which could close the living room off from the rest of the main level of the east wing of their home. Lucy seemed to thrive on drama so she definitely didn't need an audience to perform for. She took another deep breath and then sat down in the wing chair by the fireplace. "So, how can I help you?" she asked._

 _Lucy dabbed at her dry eyes with a handkerchief. "I'm not sure what Alan has told you but I hope you understand that this is not easy for me."_

 _Monica knew if she had thrown herself at someone else's husband the way Lucy had pursued her husband she would be mortified. Almost exactly two months earlier, Lucy had left Alan a seductive note and key card for a suite at the Port Charles Hotel. Alan had thought the message was from her so he checked to make sure Rosa was available to watch the children and then made his way to the hotel. When he had opened the door, he had followed the trail of rose petals into the bathroom but been aghast when he saw Lucy Coe not his wife in the tub full of bubbles. Traumatized he had turned and run from the suite, come home, and told her the whole story after they put the children to bed._

 _"_ _If you saw Alan as a physician for some matter, he would never discuss that with me. We both understand and respect the importance of patient confidentiality. Of course, if you're referring to your little stunt at the Port Charles Hotel back in March, yes, Alan told me everything. We don't keep secrets in our marriage so he really didn't have a choice.""_

 _Lucy seemed a bit shocked by Monica's words. For a few moments she was silent. "Ok, well then maybe this won't be as much of a shock for you as Alan was afraid it would be. I'm pregnant!"_

 _Monica supposed that explained Lucy's syncopal episode when she had crashed the Quartermaine Garden Party a week earlier. "Well, congratulations, I'm sure it is a little scary to be pregnant again after the miscarriage. Allison was that baby for us, but it all worked out and I truly hope this pregnancy will go smoothly for you."_

 _"_ _I don't think you're understanding, Monica, I'm telling you I'm pregnant because Alan is the baby's father," Lucy said._

 _Monica laughed. "Lucy, in order for Alan to be the baby's father he would need to have had sexual relations with you at least once and I know for a fact that never happened. I'm not sure what scam you're running but it won't work. Now, I think it is past time that you departed," she said._

 _Lucy seemed shaken by the words, or the logic, or maybe both. "But…" she began._

 _"_ _Lucy, if you're pregnant and unsure who the father is, I can see how that could be disconcerting and scary. I'll admit I can't empathize with that; I've only done things which could produce a child with my husband but I understand, and respect, your right to make other choices. In spite of the sympathy I might find in my heart for you, I think you have already tormented my husband enough so I would ask that you just skip over him and perhaps move onto some man who you did have sex with."_

 _"_ _If you must know, I already told Alan he was the father," Lucy said._

 _"_ _Oh, and how did he take that?"_

 _"_ _He said it was impossible."_

 _"_ _Hmm, I guess great minds do think alike. So, since we're in agreement on that, I really do wish you the best with the pregnancy, with tracking down your baby's father, but you really do need to leave now because I'm missing family game night," Monica said. She stood up and started walking towards the door._

 _When Monica opened the door, she saw their nanny Rosa coming across the foyer with cordless phone. "Dr. Monica, your brother is on the phone," she said._

 _"_ _Thank you, Rosa, would you mind showing Miss Coe to the door?" Monica asked as she reached for the phone._

At the time, when Lucy had left their home without further protest Monica had just presumed that Lucy had tired of her dramatics or accepted the futility of her scam. She hadn't imagined that Lucy had been hoping if she had left quietly that Monica might not mention her visit. Truly Monica hadn't imagined it was possible that her brother could be the father of Lucy's baby when she mentioned it. She had merely been providing an example of the insanity of life in Port Charles. The example had been fortuitous though because she was pretty sure that Lucy would have never admitted the truth to Scott if he hadn't realized that the timing fit and demanded a paternity test. Unfortunately, just when Scott had adjusted his mind to the idea of being a father, Lucy had a second late second trimester pregnancy loss.

That had been a dark time for her brother. He had relocated his law practice to Nevada for reasons Monica still didn't understand. A year later he had returned home to Port Charles with a wife, Dominique Stanton-Baldwin. A wife he had basically forgotten to mention. Their parents had been taken aback and honestly a bit hurt. In contrast, Monica had seen her brother truly happy for the first time in years so forgiving the missed wedding invitation seemed like quite a small thing.

As happy as Scott and Dominique were, Dominique succumbed to a brain tumor before they had a chance to celebrate their second wedding anniversary. Their biological daughter Serena was carried by gestational surrogate Lucy Coe and was born a few weeks after Dominque's death. Scott had been a devoted dad from the beginning which was another reason that the events of the last week had been so unsettling.

XXXXXXXX

While he waited in the study of the Doctors Quartermaine with Lucy, Rexford Stanton considered what he had seen so far of the Quartermaine Estate. It was impressive, and he said with the frame of reference of growing up a Stanton. He felt remiss that he had not uncovered the connection between the Quartermaine and Baldwin families. That was sloppy on his part and could have downstream implications. He was furious that Warren had not pointed out the relationship and the potential pitfalls it might invoke. After all, Warren was the one who had come up with the plan. Of course, Warren's last plan had basically ended up with taking the fall for his older brother serving two years in a low security federal prison.

"I don't think you know how much I appreciate this, Rex," Lucy crooned as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I think I'm starting to. Do not mistake me, Lucy, my love, there is not much I wouldn't do for you. But, more importantly, after Dominique, I consider you Serena's mother. So, I am doing this for you but I am also doing this for my niece," Rex said.

Rex was a bit surprised at how readily the lies came off his tongue. Truthfully, he had considered Dominique a spoiled brat as a child. Years later when he had appealed to her for money, she had turned him down stating that she couldn't support his illegal schemes. Her self-righteousness had been infuriating. She only had that money because he had taken the fall for her father on the insider trading charges. Turnabout was fair play though. So, he would take custody of Dominique's daughter if that gave him access to her trust fund. It was just his way to get back what should have been rightfully his in the first place.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine steeled herself before she pulled the door open to the study she and Alan shared. "Hello, again, Lucy, what might I be able to help you with today?" she asked.

"You can start by giving me Serena and then…."

Monica shook her head as Lucy launched into her rant. _Why did these things always happen when she was post call?_

A rugged man with sandy brown hair turned around from where he had been gazing out the window and stepped forward to wrap his arm around Lucy. "Honey, I appreciate how devoted you are to Serena but sometimes that emotion and passion is at cross purposes to expressing that clearly. Perhaps allow me.," he said.

Somewhat surprisingly Lucy quieted and watched him with rapt attention. If Monica hadn't known who he was she might have been impressed. But she knew he was Rexford Stanton and Scott had made it very clear that he was to come nowhere near Serena. She could respect that.

Rex stepped forward and extended his hand. "I'm Rexford Stanton. Dominique was my beloved niece. I know she would want Serena with family."

Monica accepted his hand but not his explanation. "Serena is with family, our family, and she will remain here until Scott clears his name, which he will."

"I understand about family loyalty, Dr. Quartermaine. I know you want to believe the best about your brother, but the charges against him are concerning and I feel that Serena needs stability. I assure you this arrangement is not what Dominique would want," Rex said.

Lucy Coe continued to gaze at Rex and nodded emphatically.

"I was fortunate to get to know Dominique quite well while she battled her cancer. When she and Scott initially pursued IVF before she started treatment, they were optimistic that she would respond have the chance to raise her own children. By the time it was unfortunately clear that she might not even meet Serena she made it very clear that she had found her peace in Serena being raised by Scott with the support of our family. Scott fought that for a bit in his grief but we've worked through that. I assure you that if Dominique is looking down on all of this, she is encouraging Scott to fight, clear his name, and find his way back to raising his daughter. If you knew Dominique at all you would know this," Monica said.

"I have spoken to Warren Bauer about petitioning for custody," Rex said.

Rex's choice of attorney was not lost on Monica. Apparently, he had done his homework on that issue. "I assure you that is not what Dominique would have wanted. But if you feel that it is what you must do then I guess it is what you must do. We will do what we must do to protect Serena's life and Dominique's wishes. Now that we both understand each other's positions I think it is time that you left."

"You can't keep us from Serena!" Lucy fumed.

"Actually, I can. In fact, according to the terms of the current CHINS agreement I must. All of Serena's visitations need to be cleared through CPS. You can contact Sarah O'Connor at Children's Services to set something up. Now you may leave our home or I will need to call the police," Monica said as she pointed to the open study door and then escorted Lucy and Rex to the front door.

After she had closed the door behind Lucy and Rex, Monica collapsed back against it for a moment and collected her thoughts. Then she picked up the phone and called her father.


	42. Questions: Asked and Answered

**More Reader Questions:**

 **1.) Is Jax a stalker?**

I think if you look at Jax's relationships he does definitely have a controlling vibe and I think there were canon actions towards Lois, Brenda, Miranda, and maybe even Skye that could have met the legal definition. I don't think it stands out in the PC collective as much because GH has so many "supercouples" with very unhealthy dynamics. This is after all the show that had Laura marry her rapist. I just can't write that way so I do call this kind of stuff out.

 **2.) Introducing Narly?**

Sure…LOL! Did Ned & Lois ever have a couple name?

 **3.) Who knows Lois is Dr. Lois Cerullo?**

Her family (including Sonny who helped her extricate herself from Dr. Kinder in the first place). I'm not sure if Brenda or Miguel does. Jax and Ned definitely do not. Ned will eventually figure it out face to face in a real time story reveal. I kind of think that Dr. Eve Lambert could have crossed paths with her when she was a 4th year medical student at HSC-Brooklyn. I also think Dr. Karen Baldwin-Cates should know because of their Sonny connection.

 **4.) Lucy Coe heroine or villain?**

I think at her core Lucy at least in the beginning was always focused on advancing her own self-interests and a bit oblivious to and unbothered by who she hurt in the process. In spite of this, she was never a completely cold calculating villain because she was also so desperate for acceptance so it was more a scenario where she just wasn't capable of caring or being a good friend than that she was a true sociopath, I think. Purportedly Dominique Stanton Baldwin made her a better person and she genuinely came to love Serena and then perhaps Kevin.

In this story Lucy has legitimately done directly and indirectly a lot that has/will hurt Serena and Scott. Much of this is because she has somewhat blindly followed Rex's lead and been a bit blind to who he really is. I do think some of her blind trust is a testament to wanting to connect to Dominique (Rex is a Stanton, Dominique's uncle) but some of it is being enamored with his purported wealth so it isn't as altruistic as Lucy might want to believe. I also think it fits because lashing out is (and I think always will be) Lucy's mechanism when hurt. Lucy just had a second pregnancy loss at the end of July [her first loss was the baby she and Scott conceived which she tried to pass off as a Quartermaine baby-Scott learned the baby was his, tried to stand by her and she pushed him away initially to try to continue her scheme and then even after the truth was out for everyone she still pushed him away and claimed that she only was able to love the baby if she pretended it was a Q baby she could never love his baby-that sounds heartless but maybe it was grief?] and she and Kevin just split up again (and Kevin left town in Mid-August).

 **5.) Are Melissa McKee Murdoch and Carly Ashton basically the same?**

I think they have a lot of common ground (relatively poor growing up, insecurity, kind of on the outside of PC society until they married their upper-class husbands, hated by Luke Spencer). I haven't quite figured out if that will make them BFFs or mortal enemies. While Melissa acknowledges that they both broke up one of Bobbie's marriages, Melissa did it much more indirectly (ie she didn't sleep with her stepfather she just dumped a lot of extra stress onto a marriage that was already struggling) and unintentionally. Plus, she was fifteen and her mother had just died from cancer. I think it can be argued that Carly aimed to destroy Bobbie's marriage (sleeping with Tony always seemed like much more of a means to an end than true romance IMO). I'm a big fan of just kind of writing what fits so my current plan is that they will spend some time together and we'll see where that goes. I do think Carly needs a PC female friend so maybe that is Melissa or maybe not. Brenda Barrett, Keesha Ward, and Caitlin Hornsby would be other options. Reader suggestions could also be welcome.

 **6.) Who is Mark Carlin?**

Mark Carlin is a canon character from the mid-80s. His original claim to fame was breaking the Evan Jerome murder in 1987. He led the press to storm Duke Lavery's club on the day he was due to wed Anna Devane. He was somewhat discredited when he set up Duke to assault him but Jake Myers got one of the other paper employees to admit that Carlin set the whole thing up. I think he got fired by the Herald at some time after that but would have been well suited to working for a tabloid of some sort. I am working with the premise that he was unemployed for years when he happened to be in Llanview and witness Todd Manning blowing up the Armitage Yacht. Todd slipped him money to keep quiet which he used to launch a Port Charles based tabloid similar to the Sun called the Port Charles Intruder (the Llanview paper Todd purchased from Dorian Lord in 1995 and renamed the Sun was originally called the Intruder). In 1997 under the guise of this paper he covered Brenda Barrett's impending nuptials to Sonny Corinthos. When the Barrett and Corinthos wedding didn't happen, he lost face and ran out of capital. His second issue never came out but then Rex Stanton offered another infusion of capital which enabled him to cover Scott Baldwin's arrest in October 1997.

 **7.) Did Mac Scorpio really blow up the Jacks Family mine?**

In a word, yes. The details of this were always a bit sketchy even on GH canon but both John Jacks and Jax Jacks made reference to this and when Miranda arrived to the GH canvas in November 1996 Mac was shocked but happy to see her (because he believed she was dead and he had killed her). He spent a lot of time trying to atone to her (which didn't exactly thrill Katherine). For my purposes: Miranda Jameson-Jacks was presumed dead in a Jacks mine explosion on 8-11-89. Behind the tragedy is the truth that Mac Scorpio was paid by John & Jerry Jacks to rig the mine as part of an insurance fraud plan. Dominique Stanton (who had a tryst with Mac in late 1988) returned to the US prior to this happening and was unaware that Mac was involved.

 **8.) Does Rex know Katherine?**

Good question, I think on GH/PC canon the two never shared a scene. I will concede that, Rex and Katherine scheming to take Serena's inheritance does seem so much more plausible than the whole scheme with Danielle as the unwilling and duped participant.

 **9.) Is Justus Ward a Quartermaine Grandson? What is the Ward-Quartermaine Connection?**

In short, no Justus is not a Quartermaine Grandson. Justus is the son of the late US Attorney Bradley Ward Jr and Isabelle. His paternal grandfather was Bradley Ward Sr who was the Reverend of Grace Episcopal Church in the Waterfront area of Port Charles.

There are a few Ward-Quartermaine connections:

-As consistent with canon, Edward Quartermaine was an officer in the navy and went off to serve his country in WW II. He and Mary Mae Ward did cross paths while he was in training but it is presumed they were more friends than lovers. Lila and Edward had met before he left (and she wrote him all those letters) but she was still legally married (although estranged from) to her abusive first husband Crane Tolliver. WWII ended in September 1945 and Edward returned to the US that October. After his attorney older brother, Abbott petitioned the court Lila was granted a divorce summary judgment and she and Edward were free to marry which they did in June 1946. Edward completed his engineering degree while working at ELQ Enterprises (originally in UT and NV). In 1950 Edward and Lila moved to Chapparal County in NY when ELQ purchased a granite quarry in Kemp Falls (outside of Port Charles). In the mid 1950s Edward did an MBA at Columbia University and he and Lila bought a townhouse in Manhattan. They returned to Port Charles afterwards and ELQ incorporated in New York with Edward at the helm.

-The Wards themselves (or at least Bradley Sr & Mary Mae) came to Port Charles in early January 1979 when Reverend Ward was slated to take over as minister of Grace Episcopal Church. In early January 1981 Grace Episcopal Church was firebombed by a KKK offshoot group. Reverend Ward was trapped inside the church and died. The arson was investigated by new PCPD Detective, John Quartermaine, Edward & Lila's younger son. The Quartemaines and many other members of Trinity Episcopal were involved with the rebuilding efforts of Grace Episcopal and in the course of this Edward and Mary Mae's connection was recognized. Much of the Grace Episcopal Congregation attended services at Trinity Episcopal until Grace Episcopal was rebuilt.

-Bradley Ward Jr. and his wife Harriet moved to Port Charles with their sons Isaiah and Justus in early 1981. Their youngest child Faith was born in Port Charles in 1982. Bradley was a US Attorney at the time and transferred to work NY Northern District Office in Port Charles. Years later in 1988 Abigail Donely-Quartermaine (niece of Sean Donely, who had just married John Quartermaine) took a job in this office after spending two years clerking with NY Northern District Federal Judge Paul Murdoch. Bradley was her mentor and trusted colleague. Although she left the office in summer 1993 (because the family moved to DC so John could attend law school at Georgetown) to take a job with the Justice Department when Bradley Ward was shot by Damian Smith in March 1994 she returned for the funeral and then later prosecuted and convicted Damian Smith for his murder in December 1994.

-Mary Mae Ward invited the Quartermaine Family to Kwanzaa in 1981. Edward is inspired by Bradley Ward II's words about collective works and responsibility and cooperative economics which motivates the initial formation of the Charles Street Foundation. (This event and the foundation are GH Canon but they happened thirteen years later after Bradley Ward Jr.'s murder trial.) Years later in 1992 Jason Morgan flirted with Mary Mae's granddaughter Keesha at the Kwanzaa Karamu and they started dating (at this time Jason was a college student at PCU and Keesha was a high school senior).

-In June 1982 Mary Mae Ward and Lila Quartermaine opened the Chapparal County Children & Family Center with significant funding from a Charles Street Foundation Grant. They opened a second home in 1990. After Bradley Ward Jr.'s death in March 1994 the home was renamed Ward House as a tribute.

-Faith Ward and Allison (and later Emily) Quartermaine were friends. In 1997 Allison and Faith are doubles partners on the PC High Tennis Team.

-AJ Quartermaine was there for Keesha Ward after her relationship with Jason Morgan imploded after his accident. They officially started dating Summer 1997.

 **10.) Kiefer Bauer from kindergarten jerk to partner violence?**

Yes, the Kiefer Bauer who is tormenting Serena is meant to be the same guy who beat Kristina Davis-Corinthos repeatedly. I don't usually SORAS though so perhaps the almost ten-year age gap will spare Kristina, at least during her high school days.

 **11.) What about Celia?**

Celia has been mentioned quite a bit throughout this but hasn't actually appeared. She divorced Jimmy Lee Holt (who is not a Quartermaine at all) after she learned he was cheating with Charity Gatlin in 1986 and has been an executive at ELQ-West since she finished her masters in environmental engineering in 1992. Her mother Betsy Quartermaine (I believe on canon Betsy might have been a stepmother but I wasn't watching then and it is unclear and it works so much better if she is her biological mom so I'm going with that) has been admitted at Rose Lawn (in Shepherd, NY outside of Port Charles) since January 1988 when she attempted suicide moments before the police were about to arrest her for Herbert Quartermaine's murder. (So ostensibly Celia comes to Port Charles to visit her mother with some frequency.) Herbert Quartermaine had terminal cancer so Celia (and some other members of the Quartermaine family believe it was a mercy killing and although that may not fit their ethical framework/approach they don't believe she is evil). Celia's father Quentin divorced his wife after her arrest but is paying for her long term private psychiatric facility and considering it alimony. I have some great ideas for Celia but I don't think they will end up in this story.

 **Now I have some questions...**

1.) As I understand it; in cannon Carly came to Port Charles with only a high school education, managed to get into nursing school with some help from Bobbie Jones. She subsequently failed out of nursing school and then got a job as a PT assistant (which in some cases doesn't require formal training so that may be possible). She lost (or maybe quit) that job sometime in 1997 when she was pregnant with a baby Tony thought was his (and to be fair to Carly, I think Tony liked the idea then of Carly being a stay at home mom). Obviously, Carly could certainly be a SAHM married to Ned (and probably even a SAHM with a full-time nanny) but if Carly was going to do something career wise what do you see her doing? Answers can be specific or just a more general field.

2.) What original character or resurrected canon character is your favorite/ or one you would like to see more about?

3.) Would you want Chloe to come back to Port Charles more long term? [Theoretically she flew back to Milan on October 6th, the morning after the lunch scene with Amy, Ned, & Carly.]

4.) Carly needs at least a local female friend or two. Given this variation on canon could she and Brenda be friends? Would she and Keesha be friends? Or what about Melissa McKee Murdoch (who is Bobbie Spencer's former foster daughter now married to Ned's best friend ADA, Chase Murdoch IV)?

5.) If we follow PC canon, then Danielle Ashley will die in less than 2 months (in a car accident set up by her Uncle Rex). Does anyone want her to live?


	43. Chapter 38: Damage Control

Lee Baldwin sat at a stool at the large granite island in his daughter's kitchen while she washed and cut vegetables for salad. When she had called him after her distressing conversation with Lucy Coe and Rex Stanton, he had known they needed to talk. So, she had suggested that they come for dinner. Now Gail was outside on the swings with Serena and Katelyn and he was trying to make sense of the senseless.

"So, how badly did I mess this all up?" Monica asked as she looked up from the tomato she was slicing.

"I wouldn't say that, honey. It sounds like you were perfectly respectful to Mr. Stanton and Lucy."

"Ironically, I think I was, Dad. But I get the impression that Mr. Stanton is going to see getting visitation as a new conquest. Plus, he somehow ended up with Warren Bauer as his attorney. So, even if he is really coming at this from a place of true concern and compassion for his great niece, you know it will be hard for Warren Bauer to see this as anything but an opportunity to win against Scott."

As an officer of the court, Lee firmly believed in the judicial process. Inherent in that was the presumption of innocence until guilt was proven and the right to counsel. Criminal defense attorneys were just as crucial to upholding the societal good of justice and fairness as prosecutors. But that required that those criminal defense attorneys maintain their own ethics and actively work towards justice even if that meant their client was convicted in the process. The latter point seemed to be lost on the Graff, Fowler, & Bauer law firm.

"That is certainly a valid concern. Judge Preston also seems to have a higher opinion of Graff, Fowler, & Bauer than most of the rest of the Chapparal County legal community so I think they probably got the family court judge that is most likely to be sympathetic to their arguments. I'm going to talk to your brother, I got the impression that he had pretty specific reasons he didn't want Serena near Mr. Stanton based on things Dominique had shared. Perhaps there is some evidence that substantiates Dominique's concerns which I can pass on to Mrs. O'Connor."

"Dominique was such a forgiving person so I suspect that there is something there," Monica said.

Lee did as well. He was just afraid he wouldn't be able to actually prove it. "There is also another option, but your brother needs to be ok with this and I suspect he won't be," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Stanton's criminal record is all white color crime, mostly insider trading but Lucy Coe pled guilty to several violent felonies and has no biological relationship to Serena. Blocking her access would be much easier."

"Definitely, but somehow, in spite of that, Dominique believed she had reformed and trusted her as their gestational carrier so I'm guessing that Scott will be opposed as he will feel that Dominique would be opposed."

"You're probably right but I'll talk to your brother and see how he wants to proceed. Just between you and me, do you think Lucy has reformed?"

Monica added the tomatoes and cucumbers to the salad and then started to toss it before she spoke. "I know Scott wants to believe she has, because Dominique believed she could and because he does hold himself in a lot of debt to her for carrying Serena. I think the problem is that Lucy has never been able to forgive. She has always needed to get her revenge and retribution. Ironically, she is usually just wronging people all over again. She tormented Dr. Patrick O'Connor. She burned Tony's house down and tried to frame Bobbie. That failed but years later she still couldn't let it go. She paid Damian Smith to seduce Bobbie in an effort to destroy their marriage and that was just a few years ago. I guess the only possibly selfless thing I've ever seen Lucy do was carry Serena and she was compensated quite well for that so when I look at the whole picture sometimes, I wonder if she really did just do it for the money. I know that Scott is invested in that not being that case and only Lucy really knows so I'm never going to share my opinion on this with anyone else but you asked and you're my dad."

"I appreciate your candor."

"To be fair, you pretty much always have. I think a certain amount of sometimes uncomfortable candor is the tradeoff of raising kids with a sense of integrity. Alan and I are definitely earning our stripes there," Monica said.

XXXXXXXX

Rex Stanton cursed his lack of oversight as he waited for room service to bring the chilled champagne to his suite. Warren should have done better due diligence. Good grief he had lived in Port Charles for more than a decade he should know that Scott Baldwin had a sister. He had told Dr. Monica Quartermaine that he understood family loyalty but he was beginning to question that. It seemed like he had taken far too many for the team lately. Regardless, he wasn't quite ready to pull out of the plan so it was time to take the next step and propose to Lucy Coe

XXXXXXXX

Danielle Ashley put the final binder into the box and sighed. She had a feeling it was going to be a late night. Perhaps that was just as well, she was sure Jake would be at the hospital until all hours anyway. More importantly it gave her an excuse to delay going to see Scott Baldwin for another night.

"Oh, Danielle, I didn't realize you were still here. It is almost five, you should go home. I'm sure everything else can be wrapped up tomorrow morning," Amy Elizabeth Morgan said as she came out of her office.

"Are you sure? I am still waiting on a call back from the caterers to confirm they can accommodate the count for the Thursday night reception and the Friday Luncheon. I left three different messages for Daisy Murdoch" Danielle said.

"I'm sure they will accommodate it. They were sent the final numbers last week. Anyway, we're hosting this meeting at the hotel owned by our parent company and using their inhouse caterers. If this doesn't work out then I'm sure my Great Uncle Edward will have at least a mini meltdown with much more emphasis on meltdown than mini."

Danielle laughed in spite of herself. "So, you're sure you don't need anything else before I go?" she asked.

"No, unless you're trying to avoid going home to your fiancé?"

Danielle felt her cheeks grow warm. "My fiancé is an intern at PCGH. It is doubtful that he will be home for hours so, really, if you need me to stay it is no trouble."

"Nope, I should be leaving soon anyway myself. In a weak moment, I promised my boyfriend's mother I would attend this woman's bible study tonight."

"That's cool that you're close. I have only met Jake's parents once. With his schedule at the hospital we aren't exactly taking trips back to Idaho on the weekend."

"Craig is a Port Charles native. He even graduated from Port Charles High, Stallions Class of 1991," Amy said.

Danielle laughed. "I have no idea what Jake's high school mascot even was."

"Oh, I mostly know that because my Quartermaine cousins attend the same school he graduated from. Emily's XC team is always screaming Stallions run fast! before their races. Fortunately, her team is pretty good so it doesn't sound as ridiculous as it might otherwise."

"Yeah I guess that would be kind of bad if they were last after screaming that. I went to Malcolm X Shabazz High School so that was a bit of a mouthful at times. Technically I think we were the Bulldogs."

"In, Newark, NJ?"

"Yep, my mom grew up there. My grandparents were about to move out of Newark when I was born but then that didn't exactly work out."

"I'm sure there are nice parts of Newark."

"There are still some beautiful homes in the Forest Hills section. There is just a lot of poverty, drugs, and violent gang crime. I basically grew up down the street from Shabazz on Johnson Avenue and my grandparents didn't really understand how rough that school had become in the 90s."

"So, were you basically raised by your grandparents? Are they still in Newark now?"

"My grandparents were murdered during the spring of my sophomore year at Sarah Lawrence. The case is still open, at least officially."

"But unofficially?"

"Unofficially everyone in the neighborhood knows it was part of a Bloods and Crips turf battle. Newark PD probably can't prove that easily so they are picking their battles. Logically, I suppose, I understand, at least sort of. Nothing will bring my grandparents back so maybe justice would be hollow regardless."

"I'm really sorry," Amy said. Her voice trailed off as if there was more she wanted to say but was afraid to or just couldn't find the words.

"Thank you, it isn't something I talk about much. Most of my friends have no idea."

"Does Jake know?"

"We met about three months after they died so he knows they were killed but doesn't really understand the details. I'm sorry I really shouldn't be dumping all of this on you."

"No, it's ok, really. If you ever want to talk, it's fine," Amy said.

Something in Amy's face caused Danielle to believe she was actually serious. It was just a weird dynamic though. Technically Amy was her boss. "I appreciate that, and thank you, but I'm ok. I guess I'll head out then. Maybe Jake will make it home before I go to bed. His attending this month always makes sure he hits exactly eighty hours each week."

"Isn't that the maximum they are allowed to work?" Amy asked.

"Basically. He did ER last block and that was great. They do shifts so he was scheduled for eighteen shifts and he sometimes had entire weekends off. I'm secretly hoping that he will decide that is what he wants to do but he is considering surgery or Obstetrics. He really loved his OB rotation, especially delivering babies. He does surgery next block so I guess we'll see. He's the one who has to do it so I guess it has to be his choice and I need to support it."

"Craig has decided to apply for oral surgery which means another six years. I guess they go back and do a sort of abridged medical school alongside some oral surgery, then a year of surgery, and then a final year of oral surgery or something like that."

"Would you have to move?" Danielle asked. She had some regrets about moving herself.

"Apparently New York Medical College has a program based out of PCGH. He is applying to that program."

"That's good but, wow, six years. Although I guess if Jake does surgery that will be another at least four more years. He says Dr. Quartermaine said that they try to work it so their transitional internship gives them at least six months of standing towards their surgery residency so they might be able to complete in four more years if they adjust their research component the right way. Jake is really into research though so I'm not sure how that would work," Danielle said.

"Well, like you said, Jake and Craig are the ones who have to do it. But on that note, I should get out of here, so I can go home eat, and change into something slightly more comfortable before bible study. I'll see you tomorrow," Amy said. Then she turned and went back into her own office to collect her things.

Danielle sighed again as she reached for her purse. It was quarter after five. It was certainly early enough that she could go see Scott. She was dreading the conversation but perhaps the longer she put it off the harder it might be. That was true of many things.

XXXXXXXX

Lucy Coe smiled as the light reflected off the diamond Rex had put on her finger. She had never seen a diamond so large. Even Amanda Barrington didn't have as significant a center stone and her husband had owned Barrington Jewelers.

"So, does this mean yes?" Rex asked.

"Yes! Of course, yes! This is amazing! Oh, wow, this ring!" Lucy raved.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton stood in her walk-in closet in the master suite. The closet was almost as big as the room she had once rented at Kelly's and she didn't even have to share it. Ned had his own slightly larger closet, although she had heard him refer to his as his dressing room and suspected that perhaps that was technically the proper name for her huge closet

Once again, she had no idea what to wear. She probably should have asked Lila Quartermaine what people wore to bible studies hosted at mansions. _At the time, she had been both taken aback by the invitation and didn't want her husband's grandmother to consider her a clueless heathen. Unfortunately, she kind of was a clueless heathen._

XXXXXXXX

Danielle Ashley's cellular phone started ringing as she pulled the door to Eli's open. With trepidation she opened her phone and extended the antennae. "Hello," she said.

"We got engaged! We got engaged! Come celebrate with us!" Lucy Coe shrieked in her ear.

Danielle extended the phone away from her ear and took a deep breath. Rex had told her she wasn't irreplaceable and she had a good idea that he had just moved on plan C or plan D or whatever. Unfortunately, that didn't mean that her dear Uncle Rex was any closer to letting her go. He would remain the pesky albatross around her neck. "Umm wow, Lucy, that's great! I'm very happy for you and Uncle Rex but I'm really not feeling well so I think I just need a quiet night in."

"Oh, if you're sure," Lucy said.

Danielle heard the dejection in Lucy's voice and felt badly. _Lucy was supposed to be her friend. Perhaps that was another reason it was harder to be happy for her. After all, friends weren't supposed to let friends marry sociopaths and the more that she got to know her Uncle Rex the more she feared that was the most accurate descriptor._

"Yes, I really need an early night, I'm sorry. I'm really busy right now at work but maybe we can do brunch on Saturday," Danielle offered.

"Ok, well, toodles, tata, and I'll call you tomorrow. I think I'm about to be seduced off to bed by my husband to be. I guess we'll celebrate with a night in as well," Lucy said.

Danielle just shook her head. "Ok, well congratulations, again," she said and then quickly closed her phone before Lucy could say more. She definitely did not want details about her Uncle and Lucy's sex life. Plus, if Rex was moving forward with a full court press then she didn't have a choice. She had to come clean with Scott.


	44. Chapter 39: The Plot Thickens

Detective Alex Garcia hung up the phone and sighed. "So apparently the plot thickens," he said.

Detective Allison Jordan shook her head. "I thought we decided you were going to retire that phrase."

Alex shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, be that way!"

"Well, with that lead in I'm guessing that you got the full toxicology back from the crime lab and it shows rohypanol?" Allison guessed. That would change things, although she wasn't sure that pointed towards Scott Baldwin more than anyone else and their DNA evidence and his alibi basically excluded him.

"No, actually the full toxicology only shows the cocaine, ecstasy, and alcohol that showed up on the labs from the emergency department. That came over while you were on the phone with Dr. Lake and I guess I forgot to mention it.

Allison rolled her eyes. "You forgot to mention it? Ok, so if that wasn't the crime lab then who were you talking to?"

"That was Officer Johnson, I helped him out with going through some of the security footage from Neptune's Net and came across someone interesting in the crowd."

"Let me guess, Tiffany Peterson?"

"Exactly, I had Fred have the tech guys pull some stills and clean them up as much as possible. He says that the tech's used linear facial recognition technology and confirmed it is her. More interestingly she left Neptune's Net with some unknown kid who could easily be a much younger version of Scott Baldwin."

"What time was that?"

"It looks like a little before ten. They got in some jeep in the parking lot. PA plates and we only have a partial plate but Fred was going to try to track that down."

"He can be quite industrious when given proper direction," Allison agreed. Although Officer Fred Johnson had become the butt of almost all PCPD jokes, Allison tended to believe he was a decent cop who for some reason couldn't seem to get out from under the shadow of his prior mistakes.

"Let's see if he gets anywhere with the partial plate before we start working on his commendation, ok?" Alex said.

"Sure, on that note, I think this is a great place to call it a day. We're supposed to meet with ADA Jensen for a progress update on this case at 8AM."

"I thought Tagglione was prosecuting this."

"Apparently Mayor McClintock had other plans. It has to be almost a moot point though since I can't see anyone in the DA's Office thinking they should bring this case before the grand jury."

"In the current office, no, however, I'm pretty sure that DA Schultz has gotten grand juries to indict more than a few of those proverbial ham sandwiches," Alex said.

XXXXXXXX

Danielle Ashley turned her key in the lock of their apartment in the River View complex on the Port Charles River Walk. As she opened the door, she remembered the day she had told Jake she was going to move to Port Charles.

 _July 6, 1997_

 _Danielle Ashley pulled the eggplant parmesan out of her boyfriend's oven and hoped he would be home soon. Eggplant Parmesan was not something that reheated well. As if the universe could read her mind, and wanted to help her, the apartment door opened just as she completed her thought. Jake was home!_

 _"Wow, that smells great! I thought you were going to head back to the city today," Dr. Jake Marshak said._

 _"I had a chance to do a lot of thinking while you were at the hospital. I think I'd like to just stay here, if you want me to that is?"_

 _"Want you to? Of course, I want you to. I have missed you so much, but what about your auditions?"_

 _"I don't have any coming up for a while. I need to get some kind of a job that pays in something more than experience anyway. I can do that in Port Charles," Danielle said._

 _"If you're sure. I can't think of anything I would like more than waking up and seeing your face every morning. I wanted to ask you to move with me but I thought that wouldn't be supportive of your career and I want to be."_

 _"I'm sure. There isn't any other place I would rather be."_

The memory was so bittersweet because of the embedded dishonesty. Jake had interpreted her willingness to move to Port Charles as commitment to him and their relationship. On some level it was all of that. But on another level the whole trip to Port Charles had been the result of her Uncle Rex's ultimatum and ulterior motives. When Jake had proposed a few weeks later and she had said yes and hoped that maybe they really could be happy. She still did, even if that hope seemed more fleeting by the day.

Danielle was halfway into the kitchen before she realized that Jake was sitting on the couch. "Oh, hi, you're home before seven, that's rare."

"I'm post-call. Even Dr. Burgess has to let me go by noon on post call days or she will be violating the work hour rules. I was about to call you and see if you wanted to meet at The Recovery Room but it looks like you came up with a better idea," Jake said pointing to the takeout bag from Eli's.

Danielle cringed as she realized she was about to embed a little more dishonesty into her relationship with Jake. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she had never intended those ribs for him. She had planned to come home long enough to leave him a note and then go to talk to Scott. She had been hoping she could use the ribs to break the ice and that somehow when everything was on the table Scott would still believe that she truly loved Serena and she would never intentionally hurt either of them. There wasn't any embedded dishonesty in that statement but she was afraid that Scott wouldn't see that.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine scrutinized the chest x-ray on the PACS in the ED physician work room. It looked like both of his chest tubes were in good position, the lung had re-expanded, and his central line tip was in the Superior Vena Cava. Perhaps life wasn"t good but it was definitely better, he would take that.

"Ah, bilateral chest tubes, that's never a good sign," Dr. Tony Jones said as he came up behind him.

"I guess when it is a trauma patient that depends on whether a bilateral hemothorax is the alternative," Alan said.

"Fair enough. By the way, did you get my leave requests for December?" Tony asked.

"I did. I wanted to talk to you about that. Perhaps this is not the best place," Alan suggested. He and Tony had been friends for more than fifteen years but it had been months since they had conversed without tension and he didn't think either of them needed an audience.

"If you're planning to deny my FMLA rights then I think I would rather have a witness, or five," Tony said.

Alan had no intention of denying anyone's rights under FMLA. He just wasn't sure why Tony needed FMLA to care for a child that wasn't his in any sense. Frankly, when he had received the form, he had presumed that the form had been completed prior to Tony learning the truth about the paternity of Carly's baby. Tony's secretary was notorious for leaving completed paperwork on her desk for weeks before actually submitting it. He had truly believed that had happened and had tried to be sensitive to Tony's feelings by not bringing it up. Apparently, he had been wrong.

"I would never deny a legitimate FMLA request. So, if that is the case, then just submit the FMLA forms and we will figure out how to cover the neurosurgery call schedule for however long you need. If you can get those to me this week that would be great because we will probably need to try to bring in a locum neurosurgeon to help Dr. Muir, Dr. Kraznick, and Dr. Ross out with call," Alan said.

"It will be on your desk in the morning," Tony said and then he turned and stalked off.

Alan wasn't sure what to think. So instead he just logged out of the PAX, turned, and headed back down the hall to the trauma room 3.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton surveyed her outfit in the full-length mirror in her dressing room. The long skirt and cardigan looked similar to what she had seen Ned's cousin AJ's girlfriend, Keesha, wearing at Sunday brunch. She couldn't believe she was copying Keesha Ward. Keesha was the epitome of prim, proper, and boring _. Of course, all of Ned's family professed to love her so, maybe she was on to something. Or maybe she was just a prude!_


	45. Chapter 40: Just So I Understand

Edward Quartermaine had to admit that he had been wary when he had heard that his eldest grandson was about to embark on marriage number three. In his experience, the third time was rarely the charm. But at eight o'clock at night Ned was sitting in his study working on real estate contracts for the townhouse community ELQ was planning to build in New Jersey. Voluntary after-hours work had been a hard sell with either of Ned's prior wives but apparently Carly had suggested that Ned could certainly find something to work on with his grandfather while she joined the women's bible study Lila and Monica were hosting.

"I think this should do it. I put a survey and appraisal clause in mainly to give us an opportunity for downstream negotiation if we need it," Ned said as he pulled a stack of papers from the printer.

"Did you let the agent know we are submitting an offer?" Edward asked as he started to read through the stack of papers.

"My assistant reached out to them this afternoon. Once you sign the offer, I'm going to fax it and then I will overnight the original and the check."

"I appreciate your timely attention to this," Edward said as he reached for a fountain pen from his desk.

"Well, Carly can't drive so she suggested I should be productive while waiting for her."

"Do you mean she can't drive because of the pregnancy?" Edward asked.

"She has never had a license. Apparently one of her best friends was killed in a car accident in high school and she just never wanted to learn after that. I was going to ask Grandmother if she might consider sharing her driver, Reginald."

"Your Grandmother is hosting the Junior League tomorrow. Perhaps Carly would like to attend that. You know, Ned, there isn't anything wrong with a woman recognizing that her husband will more than provide financially so she can contribute her talents to programs to help the less fortunate. To those whom much is given, much is expected," Edward said. _Perhaps there was something to the third time being the charm after all._

"If Carly wants to join Grandmother in her charity work, I think that could be great. She has also talked about wanting to go back to school and finish her degree and I would certainly support that as well," Ned said.

Edward refrained from suggesting that perhaps next semester when Carly had an infant was not the time. That wouldn't go over well for various reasons, including that he had advised Ned's mother to go back to school when he was an infant. Of course, that had been different; Tracy had needed something to pull her out of the abyss after the dissolution of her marriage. Business classes and aspirations of working at ELQ had given her a purpose. Anyway, Lila had been available to raise Ned who was only about seven years younger than their youngest son, John Arthur Quartermaine.

XXXXXXXX

Scott Baldwin opened his front door to find his late wife's sister standing on his front porch. He hadn't seen Danielle since a week earlier when she and her fiancé had joined him, Serena, and Karen for dinner. He had kind of presumed she had heard about his arrest through the grapevine and decided she wanted nothing to do with him. It had stung but he had let it go. He hadn't exactly had a choice.

Danielle looked uncomfortable, or cold, or perhaps both. "I think we need to talk," she finally said.

"Why don't you come in? It's supposed to get down into the lower 40s tonight," Scott said.

Danielle stepped inside and followed him into the living room. She sunk down into one of the wing chairs beside the fireplace but continued to shiver.

"Maybe I should turn the heat up," Scott offered.

Danielle shook her head but didn't speak.

"So, what can I help you with?" Scott asked after sitting down on his own couch.

"I should have come to you sooner but I guess I didn't realize that Rex would stoop so low. In retrospect, I probably should have," Danielle said.

"What do you mean?"

"When I first met Rex, I thought he was great. I mean he basically materialized, said he was my Uncle and paid for my junior year tuition. I was a mess; my grandparents had just been murdered and my financial aid was getting cut so the timing was perfect. In retrospect, that should have made me even more wary."

"I'm sorry," Scott said. He wasn't sure what else to say. Danielle had never mentioned her grandparents before. He knew that her mother was a long-term resident of Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. He supposed that likely meant they had raised her.

"It isn't your fault. It was just a difficult time. It was before I met Jake and I felt like I was so alone," Danielle said.

"I wish you and Dominique had the chance to know each other."

"I do too, although my other half-sister didn't exactly welcome me warmly."

Scott laughed. "Katherine Bell? She reserves her warm welcomes for men with millions. I should know, I was one of her marks."

"You were?"

"It wasn't one of my finer moments. I wasn't in a good place after Dominique's death; I was lost without her and had this tiny dependent baby who I loved more than life but was terrified of messing up. Katherine showed up at Dominique's Memorial and claimed she was Dominique's long-lost best friend. One thing led to another and a few months after that Lucy Coe and Damian Smith were objecting at our wedding."

"You married Katherine Bell?"

"No, Lucy showed up with the proof that Katherine was actually sleeping with Damian and had been scheming with him to get access to my money before we got to the vows part so we never went there."

"So, then what happened?"

"We didn't marry. I took a job in Vancouver, WA. I came back about a year later to represent the goddaughter of a colleague in an attempted murder trial. Katherine was still in Port Charles and had discovered that she truly was Dominique's sister. I decided Dominique would have given her a second chance and supported her becoming the next Deception Cosmetics CEO."

"Is that why Lucy hates her so much?"

"I think that is one factor. They also fought over Damian Smith but even before then I think they just both have abrasive personalities which can be hard to mesh together."

"I like Lucy, but I could see that."

"You said you didn't know Rex would stoop so low, what did you mean?" Scott asked.

"I came to Port Charles more because Rex threatened me if I didn't than because Jake was moving for residency. I was supposed to get a job working in your law firm."

"But Rex decided he had better use for you at Deceptions?" Scott asked.

"No, the Deception Cosmetics thing was my idea. I knew it was Dominique's company and it was a way to avoid being used by Rex without fully standing up to him which I really couldn't have done three months ago. He wasn't thrilled about what I had done but he went along with it for some reason maybe because I was getting close to Serena."

"So, this was all just an act?" Scott asked. Ironically, that was what he had feared at first. That was why he had met with Danielle several times before he ever let Serena know she even existed.

"No, I wanted to know my Stanton family. Yes, Rex told me to reach out to you and Serena but I wanted to and I've never told Serena anything that didn't truly come from my heart. I let myself believe that Rex really did just want to maintain Serena's Stanton connection. But now I realize that I was just naïve and Rex didn't give up his original plan he just found someone else to carry it out. He always told me I wasn't irreplaceable."

"So, what was Rex's plan?" Scott asked. He was afraid he already knew. He wasn't sure if he felt vindicated or terrified.

"He wants to convince the court that he is the best person to have custody of Serena."

"Over my dead body!" Scott fumed.

"That is why I refused to help him once I got to know you and Serena. I know I should have been more honest from the start and I would understand if you never wanted to see me or let me see Serena but I'm hoping you will give me a second chance."

"So, what did Rex want you to do specifically?"

"I never would have done it, even before I knew you, I wouldn't have done it. I told Rex that it was wrong from the start," Danielle insisted. She started to tremble and wrapped her coat more tightly around her.

"So, you were supposed to get a job in my office and then what? Lie and claim that I had raped you?" Scott asked.

Danielle slowly nodded her head as the tears started streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I promise I never would have done it and I thought Rex knew that and actually understood it was an insane plan. Or I thought that until I heard about your arrest. I'm sorry."

Once again, Scott didn't have words.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine joined his wife in the kitchen where she was washing teacups after bible study. "Finally, alone, at last!" he said as he reached into the drawer for a clean dish towel and began to dry the cups from the dish rack in the other side of the main sink.

"I'm sorry, I sensed you really needed to tell me something and of course my parents were here and then half the women of the church were here," Monica said as she added several saucers to the dish rack.

"I guess by now your parents know that if I'm late for dinner it's the reality of our call schedule and not a reflection on the company."

"Dinner was spontaneous, I was a bit flustered after Rex Stanton and Lucy Coe showed up so I called my dad."

"Lucy and Rex Stanton came here?" Alan asked.

"Unfortunately, they did and it was basically as ridiculous as that time Lucy showed up here to try to convince me that you were the father of her baby even though you had never actually been together outside of her delusions. Now Rex Stanton wants to take custody of his great niece."

"I'm sorry; fortunately, I can't see Judge Preston going along with that."

Monica laid the final cup in the dish rack and let the water out of the sink. "I hope you're right. So, what did you want to tell me earlier?" she asked.

Alan reached for the last three cups to dry. "I had a rather unsettling encounter with Tony earlier."

"Over a patient?"

"Not really, I mean it was down in the ED and I had just finished putting in bilateral chest tubes and a central line in a trauma patient but he wasn't involved in that. He just asked me if I had approved his leave request," Alan said.

"His leave request? Is he going on a trip? Maybe that could be a good thing and give him a chance to reset."

Alan opened the cupboard and started putting cups and saucers away. "Apparently he wants to take paternity leave in December."

Monica raised an eyebrow as she wiped out the sink. "What?

"I received it yesterday and I truly thought he had filled it out a few weeks ago before he realized that Carly's baby wasn't his. You know his secretary is notorious for sitting on completed paperwork."

"But he actually wants to take time off to care for Ned and Carly's child?"

Alan put the final cup inside and closed the cupboard. "He accused me of violating his FMLA rights so I told him to submit the official FMLA forms as expeditiously as possible."

"Are you afraid he plans to challenge for paternity?"

"It appears he plans to try. This is really none of my business, but I presume that Ned married Carly because he was certain that he was the father of her child. I presume there was a prenatal paternity test done which showed that. So, I don't see how Tony can be the father and I worry that he won't handle that well."

"I think that is a very valid concern. I understand that this has been a difficult couple of years for Tony. His daughter died. He learned his wife was having an affair with Damian Smith. It had seemed that he and Bobbie might come back together but then he had his own affair with Carly and Bobbie filed for divorce. I think he had a lot invested in Carly's baby justifying all of the messiness before their conception and he needs to hold onto that."

"That is very insightful but unfortunately I think it is also very true and that doesn't bode well for any of us," Alan said.

"No, probably not, but I don't think we're going to resolve this tonight and we both have early days tomorrow so let's go to bed," Monica said. She reached for her husband's hand and led him from the kitchen.


	46. Chapter 41: My Mama Told Me

**Full Chapter Title- Chapter 41: My Mother Told Me There Would Be Days Like This!**

October 9, 1997

Carly Ashton attempted to pry her eyes open as she sat with a cup of coffee in the breakfast nook in the Ashton kitchen. She was not a morning person; unfortunately, her husband was. Ned thought nothing of getting up before six so he could go to the gym before an eight AM meeting. He apparently also thought nothing of scheduling his wife's mani pedi for 8:30 AM.

"Did you want a breakfast smoothie, Carly?" Ned asked. He was standing over what what Carly presumed was really just an elaborate blender. He had already returned from his morning cardio session at the gym.

"It doesn't have raw eggs or something gross in it, right?" Carly asked.

Ned laughed. "No, I prefer to not start my morning off with an unhealthy dose of Salmonella. Milk, oatmeal, strawberries and blueberries," he said.

"Ok, uh, thanks," Carly said. She took another gulp of her coffee. It didn't really help. She was pretty sure there wasn't enough coffee in the world to make being up before seven thirty ok.

XXXXXXXX

At 15 Primrose Court, Allison Jordan gave her daughter a final kiss and laid her back into her crib. "Sweet dreams my very loved little girl," she whispered before she turned away just as she heard the doorbell ring. It was likely her mother in law, coming to watch Mackenzie. Although Marge Jordan had a key to her house, she still rang the doorbell. She considered it respectful of their privacy. Allison wasn't sure what to think.

Allison pulled the front door open to find, as expected, her mother in law.

"Brr. It is definitely nippy out there this morning. I almost drove just so I wouldn't have to brave the cold," Marge said as she stepped into the foyer and started to remove her Lands End parka.

When she had moved to Port Charles after her husband's death, Allison had used a chunk of his life insurance to purchase a home in the wealthy Lilac Park neighborhood he had grown up in. She lived within walking distance of his parents.

"Mac always used to say how Boston was so much warmer and I thought he was being silly but I guess he had a point," Allison admitted as she took her mother in law's coat to hang it up and then pulled her own coat from the closet.

"Mac might have complained about Port Charles winters but he liked the four seasons. I think he would be glad you were raising Mackenzie here," Marge said.

"I agree, but I should go. Alex and I need to meet with ADA Jensen at the courthouse at eight. I left three bottles of breast milk in the refrigerator. I should be home by six, I hope," Allison said as she started towards the kitchen and the mudroom entrance to the garage.

Marge followed behind her. "Mackenzie and I will see you then. Tom is preparing for a trial so he will be working late and I thought we could have dinner together. I can pull a casserole together if you like."

"Umm, sure, I have some chicken breasts in the refrigerator if that helps," Allison said.

"It does, I haven't made Chicken Divan in a while. I'll make that," Marge announced as Allison opened the door into the garage.

As she drove up Lilac Drive towards Main Street, Allison reflected on what Marge had said. She was quite certain that Mac would have been more invested in Mackenzie having easy access to her paternal grandparents than determined that she grow up shoveling snow. Sometimes she thought her mother in law put a lot of effort into not overstepping her place. She could appreciate that it was probably appropriate to defer to your daughter in law's mother to set the tone for grandparenting but the problem was that Catherine West wasn't any more interested in being an involved grandmother than she had been in being an involved mother.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton blinked her eyes to smooth out her mascara. It was one of the few useful things Virginia had taught her. She reached into her cosmetics bags, pulled out a tube of lipstick and pouted at the mirror as she applied it.

"Do you need to put anything else into your suitcase before I take it to the car?" Ned called from the bedroom.

"No, and I'm almost ready. I won't make you late for that meeting, I promise," Carly said as she zipped her cosmetics bag and brought it back into the bedroom where she tossed it into her purse.

"You're fine. My FDA conference call got pushed back to nine so even if I don't get to ELQ right at eight it will be fine. Did you want to meet for lunch at the Grille?" Ned asked before he started downstairs with their suitcases.

What Carly really wanted was to order room service but she tried to decipher if Ned really wanted to meet for lunch or felt obligated to have lunch with her. She should indulge the former and let him off the hook for the latter. She just had to figure out which it was.

XXXXXXXX

Dara Jensen took a sip of her second cup of coffee and opened the file Rod Tagglione had left on her desk. DA, Abby Mitchell had reassigned the Scott Baldwin prosecution to her and she was supposed to be meeting with the investigating PCPD detectives in about ten minutes for a case update. From what she had gleaned so far it didn't look like a strong case. It seemed that the only evidence against Scott Baldwin came from the victim's statement. Admittedly, she had gotten convictions with less, but in those cases, there wasn't additional evidence that almost seemed to prove the defendant's innocence. Unfortunately, at least for the prosecution, from the preliminary forensics, that did seem to be the case in Scott Baldwin's case.

"I put all of the Baldwin files on your desk. Did you have any questions?" Rod Tagglione asked from the doorway.

Dara shook her head without looking up from the file. "No, I have a case conference with Detectives Garcia and Jordan in five minutes anyway."

"For the record, I didn't ask DA Mitchell to reassign the case," Rod said.

"I never suggested that you did, Rod. If there isn't anything else, I have work to do," Dara said. She flipped another page in the file and picked up a pencil. When she finally looked up a few minutes later Rod had disappeared and Alex Garcia had his hand raised as if he was about to knock.

"You can come in; close the door behind you," Dara said.

Dara waited until Alex and his new partner Allison Jordan had taken seats opposite her desk before she closed the folder and looked up. "So, did you bring me anything I can take before the grand jury? Is there even any evidence that a crime even happened?" she asked.

"All of the evidence from the rape kit and the purported crime scene processing basically exonerates Scott Baldwin, so, no. As far as whether a crime even happened; the victim was only sixteen and was intoxicated so legally she couldn't consent. I guess it is just also possible that the victim is actually also the perpetrator of a concurrent crime," Detective Jordan said.

New York state's statutory rape laws were written in such a way that technically if two sixteen-year olds were engaging in sexual relations they were both simultaneously perpetrators and victims of statutory rape. Some states had close in age exceptions, often dubbed Romeo and Juliet Laws, that created loopholes but New York did not. "So, does this mean you have traced the DNA back from the rape kit and have another suspect?" Dara asked.

"The crime lab initially ran the sample against Scott Baldwin's sample which was not a match and then they uploaded the profile and searched through both NYSDIS and CODIS and failed to find a match," Detective Jordan said.

Dara shook her head in frustration. That hadn't told her anything she didn't already know. "So why do you think that the rape was committed by another minor?" she asked.

"On the same night that Tiffany Peterson was raped there was an altercation at Neptune's Net. When Detective Garcia was helping a colleague go through all that footage, he spotted the victim leaving the club with a teenage male before ten PM."

"Ok, so have we talked to him yet?"

"We're still working on his identity at the moment. They got into a jeep with Pennsylvania plates. From the angle of the camera we were only able to get a partial plate. One of my colleagues is trying to run it through PA DMV records but we haven't gotten anything yet," Detective Garcia jumped in.

"I thought that you had a plate from the hospital security footage?" Dara asked.

"That was a different vehicle, a late model Lexus, which was reported missing from the Enterprise rental over at the airport," Alex said.

"So, she left Neptune's Net with some kid in a jeep before ten and then ended up dropped off at the hospital by a different vehicle about forty minutes later? Does that sound like a pimp drop off to anyone else?" Dara asked.

Detective Allison Jordan appeared uncomfortable at the insinuation. But then seemed to regain some composure before she spoke. "Maybe it's different here in Port Charles, but at least in Boston, Pimps usually didn't commit grand theft auto on their way to the hospital," she said.

 _Touché!_ Dara thought. _Touché !_

XXXXXXXX

In her office at Deceptions, Katherine Bell debated her next move. If she believed that Stefan was truly done with her which, sadly, she was starting to; then she could either accept that or fight it. Normally she would choose the latter but she wondered if she was better off exploring other options. After all, Nikolas was much more malleable and, in just over seven years, he would inherit control of the entire Cassadine fortune. So, in a way, accepting Stefan's declination just freed her to pursue an even more promising future with Nikolas.

The beep from the intercom pulled Katherine from her thoughts. She depressed the intercom button. "Yes?"

"Veronica Bowles is holding on line two. She wanted to know if you had a statement on the cosmetics testing on animals allegations," Lacey said.

 _What? Do we test cosmetics on animals? If we do, so what?_ Of course, Katherine knew she couldn't say any of that aloud though. Instead she took a deep breath. "Tell Ms. Bowles that everything Deception does is well within federal regulations. Also remind her that she knows she needs to go through media relations for official Deception Cosmetics statements," she said with forced calm.

"Right, of course, Ms. Bell, so sorry to bother you."

"Thank you, Lacey," Katherine said. She hid her annoyance until she had released the intercom. Then she exhaled again and silently cursed whomever had tossed a tidbit in the Shrew's direction.

Personally, Katherine had no idea how Deception tested their products but she was sure that since the company had become an ELQ subsidiary a year earlier that they followed any and all regulations implicitly and explicitly. Ned Ashton was basically a walking encyclopedia of FDA regulations.

XXXXXXXX

In Rejuvenate!, the spa inside the Port Charles Hotel, thirty three year old Katie Kennicott took a moment and regarded the young woman who had just entered her spa suite. She had heard the rumors that Quartermaine grandson, Ned Ashton had taken the plunge for a third time but hadn't made the connection that her eight thirty mani-pedi and facial was his newest bride until their newest manicurist, Roseana Delgado, had pointed that out. Sometimes it seemed that Roseana spent more time hawking the schedule and eavesdropping for gossip than actually doing nails.

Katie extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Katie, I'm going to be your esthetician today. Perhaps we could take a few moments to discuss your goals before we get started," she said.

Carly Ashton shook her hand quickly and then settled herself down on the edge of the treatment bed. Although the movement was abrupt it appeared to Katie, as if the newest Mrs. Ashton was more uncomfortable than dismissive. That was a sharp contrast to both of the prior Mrs. Ashtons.

Jennifer Eckert Ashton had been dismissive. She had made it very clear that she considered the spa staff peons unworthy of pleasantries or even eye contact. Katie had suffered through about six months of weekly facials between when Ned Ashton proposed in March and when he came home early from a business trip and found disgraced former ELQ Pro Counsel, Paul Hornsby, in his bed with his wife.

In contrast, Lois Cerullo, had been warm, and kind but also vibrant. She also hadn't been a frequent customer. Katie remembered when she had come for the first time with her mother in law, the Honorable Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler. It was maybe a month after the wedding and she had just learned she was pregnant. She had been concerned about the chemicals hurting the baby so they had done a natural facial. She had come a few more times and she always scheduled with Katie and asked about her parents. It was probably unprofessional but Katie had been sad when she had heard about the second Ashton divorce. She had felt for Ned and Lois but she had really felt for their daughter. It was hard to grow up in a divorced household. Her parents had divorced when she was almost eleven, after her sister's death.

Carly Ashton laughed nervously. "My goals?"

"Yes, I find that I can be most helpful if I clarify a client's skin treatment goals upfront," Katie said.

"Umm, I've never actually done this before. It was my husband's idea. He wanted me out of the house so the painters could paint the nursery."

"Oh, are you pregnant? We can do a natural facial, that doesn't have any chemicals which could hurt the baby. It is basically gentle a lemon and brown sugar exfoliator followed by coconut oil and cucumber moisturizing," Katie suggested.

"Umm, ok, uhh, thanks."

"Of course, just lie back, get comfortable, and please, let me know if anything is uncomfortable."

XXXXXXXX

"So how was the meeting with Detectives Garcia and Jordan?" DA, Abby Mitchell asked as she entered ADA Dara Jensen's office.

"With the exception of the victim's statement the evidence basically all excludes Scott Baldwin as a suspect. He has a verified alibi, and they have DNA evidence from the rape kit which is not a match to him. Plus, the police just found footage of the victim leaving Neptune's Net about forty-five minutes before she ended up in the ED with an unidentified teen. I presume you don't want me to bring this before the grand jury."

"Do you believe the victim?"

"I haven't spoken with the victim so I suppose I don't have an opinion."

"So, speak with the victim. If she is still sticking to the story that Scott Baldwin was her attacker and you find her credible then I think we need to be her voice to the grand jury."

"You know how rare it is for grand juries to not indict," Dara said.

"An indictment is not a conviction. Present all the evidence and let the grand jury decide what they think is justice."

"Does your stance on this have anything to do with Mayor McClintock's particular interest in this case?"

"As I told Mayor McClintock, this office is not in the habit of burying evidence. So definitely provide the DNA evidence to Baldwin's counsel as part of discovery. The victim's statement is also evidence and if we believe that is credible then we can't ignore or bury that either," Abby Mitchell said.

Dara could only shake her head after her boss left her office. She had a feeling her career was about to do another 180. She had been an impressionable, but so naïve, even if she hadn't seen that at the time, college student during the Jesse Hubbard trial. Hubbard, a black college student, had been accused of rape by a white classmate. There hadn't been any corroborating evidence so the evidence had boiled down to his word against hers. He was poor and black and she was wealthy and white. Ultimately Liza Colby had come unglued during the trial and admitted that she made the whole thing up. The inequity of the situation and the importance of defense counsel was not lost Dara. This was her motivation to attend law school and ultimately become a public defender.

She had spent almost six years as a public defender in Llantano County part of the expanded Philadelphia metropolis. Perhaps she had a voice for the wrongly accused, perhaps. Unfortunately, it seemed like what she really did was help gang members get out of jail to deal more drugs and shoot at each other catching innocent children in their crossfire. Eventually she had had enough. She had resigned from the public defender's office, relocated, and taken a job as a Port Charles City and Chapparal County Prosecutor. Initially she had felt like at least she wasn't advancing the gang agenda, although lately she was wondering if advancing Mayor McClintock's agenda was really any better.


	47. Chapter 42: Painful Patches of the Past

Dr. Karen Baldwin-Cates took a deep breath as she followed her aunt out of Tammy Hanson's room. "Umm, I'll start writing the transfer orders," she offered.

"Actually, the transfer orders need to be written by the transferring service. I'll give Ellen a call and then I'll dictate the consult. Is Dr. Ramsey or Dr. Lambert on call tonight?" Dr. Monica Quartermaine asked.

"It's Eve, Chris is on Friday," Karen said.

"Can you let Dr. Lambert know that my plan is to do a TEE tomorrow morning so the patient will be NPO but if anything changes or she has any problems she can just page me directly?"

"So, should I have just accepted this patient last night?" Karen asked.

"I think in some areas of medicine there are a lot of different reasonable approaches. I think a patient with suspected endocarditis can certainly go to a general IM service, and at some institutions they almost all preferentially go directly to the Infectious Disease service. I personally feel that until we have a definitive plan for treatment then it is reasonable for Cardiology to be the primary. Now, if the TEE looks like early valve replacement is not indicated and we have culture data back to support/refine our antibiotic choices then I think it is very reasonable at that point to transfer back to IM if there are other reasons the patient is not suitable for discharge. I realize you discussed this with Dr. Devlin last night and he had a different perspective on this. His perspective isn't wrong but today is a different day, Dr. Burgess requested an official consult and I just think it is reasonable for us to take over as primary at this point."

Karen wondered if she would ever be able to be so diplomatic. It was at least the tenth time than Dr. Devlin had told her something on call that his colleagues disputed in the morning. At least her aunt seemed to understand that she had just been following the advice of the on-call cardiologist. Dr. Ford and Dr. Rothstein both seemed to overlook that fact.

"I know it can be hard to be an intern and feel like different attendings tell you different things. I think what I would encourage you, and all of our housestaff, to do is to try to understand why the decisions were made. There are some areas of medicine where there is clear evidence or practice guidelines, like a patient with an ST elevation MI needs to go to the cardiac cath lab emergently. I don't think any of my colleagues would dispute that. But then there are other areas of cardiology where the evidence is still evolving and I think you will see different approaches. On that note, why don't you try to get everything wrapped up in the next hour and see if you can get out of here and get some sleep? You look exhausted!"

 _Mmmm sleep_ , Karen thought. Instead she mumbled, "Thanks!"

Yet, as she left her aunt Karen knew it wasn't just being over tired from call. Seeing Tammy Hanson reminded her of the days they had worked together at the Paradise Lounge. Although that sometimes seemed like it had been almost a different life it had really only been about four and a half years ago.

 _January 15, 1992_

 _Even in the shadows, Karen Wexler, could recognize Ray Conway. Perhaps that was fitting since he had so often come out of the shadows and into her bed while her mother slept off her latest alcohol binge. Those were the nightmares she had never been able to wake up from._

 _Karen's could feel her heart pounding even above the loud music. She felt Tammy nudging her from behind but she couldn't move. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor and then suddenly everything went black._

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _Karen woke up lying on a leather couch. It took her a minute to realize she was in club owner Sonny Corinthos's Office._

 _"_ _Are you ok? What happened out there?" Sonny asked._

 _Karen struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired, the semester just started and classes and all," she lied._

 _"_ _Are you sure? Ok, well, why don't you get changed and I'll drive you home."_

True to his word, Sonny had driven her home. He had offered to stop at Kelly's Diner and for some reason Karen had accepted. In spite of what others had alluded, he had been a perfect gentleman. Over clam chowder he asked her about school. She told him she wanted to be a doctor. He told her he had a sister who was a doctor. That had surprised her. He had told her that he and Lois were very different. Later, in the car on the way to her mother's house she had admitted that Ray Conway had once been her stepfather and, on the nights her mother had been too drunk to meet his needs, he had forced his way into her bed.

Sonny had been furious! He had called someone and assured her that Ray would be removed and lifetime banned from the Paradise Lounge. Karen hadn't expected that. For the first time someone had believed her and taken up for her. In retrospect, she knew it was both ironic and very messed up that a strip club had become her safe place. Yet, for a few months after that night it had seemed to be.

XXXXXXXX

Ned Ashton groaned when his secretary let him know that Katherine Bell was holding on line three. He debated calling her back later but he supposed that it was always better to know about Katherine's crises sooner rather than later, even her manufactured crises. So, with an internal groan, Ned picked up the phone and depressed the line. "Good morning, Katherine, what can I do for you?"

"What do you know about Deception Cosmetics testing cosmetics on animals?" Katherine asked.

"What?"

"Does that mean we aren't doing it? Someone leaked something to Veronica Bowles and now she is pestering me for a comment. I have much more important matters to deal with," Katherine said.

"Deception has never tested products on animals. Perhaps Ms. Bowles is just fishing since apparently Melador Cosmetics was testing their mascara on rabbits. As you pointed out, I think we both have other more pressing matters to focus on."

"I was thinking maybe we could do lunch and figure out a plan," Katherine said.

"Unfortunately, I have a prior lunch engagement. I'll reach out to Stewie and have him send an official statement regarding our product safety testing policy to WLPC."

Katherine laughed. "You know, Ned, if I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to avoid me," she said.

Ned shook his head. His grandfather was always lecturing him on the importance of action and accomplishment over attempts. He wondered if his grandfather would be impressed that he wasn't merely trying to avoid Katherine. He was succeeding! "Is there anything else, Katherine? As you said, we're both busy."

"Well, I guess I will see you tonight, at the reception before the Shareholder's Meeting?" Katherine asked.

"Yes, Carly and I will be there," Ned said as he noticed the flashing light which indicated Staci had placed another call on hold for him. He smiled. "But speaking of busy, I have to take another call. I'll have my secretary reach out to Stewie," Ned said.

Ned carefully hung up the phone before Katherine could object and depressed the intercom button. "Yes, Staci?" he said.

"Mr. Ashton, Julia Barrett is on line two."

"Ok, thanks. Oh, would you mind calling Mr. Lloyd in Marketing and PR at Deception Cosmetics and ask him to send a copy of our product testing policy to Veronica Bowles at WLPC. Tell him if he has questions, he can call me."

"Of course, I will do that now."

"Thank you," Ned said as he picked up the phone. "Good morning, Julia, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Hello, Ned, you are always so cordial on the phone. Perhaps you could hold an inservice for the Buchanans," Julia said.

Ned chuckled. "Yeah, I don't see that going over well. Seriously though, how can I help?"

"Perhaps Celia mentioned that Barrett is interested in using the ELQ copper extraction process. I was hoping we could set up a time to discuss the licensing and royalty agreement when I'm back in the states in November."

"Definitely, that will give me a chance to discuss it first with Celia and Quentin," Ned said.

"Thank you, I appreciate that. I also appreciate you being willing to share the technology especially considering the history there," Julia said.

"To an extent, I think both of our companies were pawns in Bill Eckert and Paul Hornsby's game."

"That is a very mature perspective," Julia said.

"We all have to grow up eventually, right?" Ned said.

"Speaking of that, dare I ask how my sister is doing?" Julia asked.

Ned considered how to answer that question. He really didn't want to get into the middle of a battle of sisters between Julia and Brenda. He supposed he had known Julia longer. He had met Julia in 1993 when she had been engaged to his fiancée Jenny's older brother Bill. Then he had become ELQ pro-counsel and ELQ and Barrett Industries were fighting over who owned the patent rights to a copper extraction process. ELQ had been granted the original patent and the HBE patent interference appeal had been denied. Less than six months after that patent hearing, Lois had introduced him to her friend Brenda Barrett at Luke's Club. He had hardly made the connection back to Julia and he definitely knew Brenda better. In many ways she had become like a little sister to him.

"I'm sorry Ned, maybe that isn't fair. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. Contrary to popular belief, I do care about Brenda."

"I've never thought otherwise, Julia. I even understand why you had reservations about her relationship with Sonny. I definitely did," Ned said.

"But you were still planning to attend their wedding," Julia said.

"I suppose I didn't think my objections were going to make a difference in what Brenda did. So, my intention in attending their wedding was to support her."

"I see you're still channeling Quartermaine diplomacy," Julia said.

"The diplomacy comes much more from my Morgan side. You've met my grandfather, I'm sure you would agree."

"I've also met your Uncle Alan, but perhaps he is his mother's son," Julia said.

"I think even grandfather would admit that. I'll talk to Celia and see what we can put together for a royalty agreement. When you know what your travel itinerary looks like, just email me with some potential dates and I'll have my secretary make one of them work."

"I appreciate that, Ned, and I appreciate you looking out for Brenda."

"Of course," Ned said but as he hung up the phone he wondered if it was easier for him to be diplomatic and unconditionally supportive about Brenda's choices because she wasn't his sister.

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett was a bit stunned when she looked at the 100% on her statistics exam. She couldn't remember the last time she had received a perfect score. As she exited Willard Hall her cell phone rang. Adeptly she pulled it from her bag and opened it. "Hello," she said.

"Brenda, it's Jax, what time should I pick you up tonight?"

"Tonight?" Brenda asked.

"Yes, the Deception Cosmetics Shareholder's Reception is tonight. It starts at 7:00."

"Why would I be attending that?"

"Because I have Deception stock and I need to attend, with a date," Jax said.

It seemed in poor taste to bring the spokesmodel for a rival cosmetics company as your date to a shareholder's reception. Of course, it didn't really seem out of character for Jax. So, perhaps she was just meant to go with it.

"Brenda?" Jax asked.

Jax's impatience came through the phone line loud and clear. It was so tempting to terminate the call and blame it on the connection. That would be dishonest but it was so tempting.

"You can pick me up at seven at the Quartermaines. I'm honestly not sure if either Alan or Monica will be home much before then," Brenda said.

Jax exhaled audibly conveying his frustration with her response. "Perhaps you are forgetting that you signed an exclusive agreement with Jacks Cosmetics."

Jax was half correct. Technically her contract precluded her from representing another company as a spokesmodel through September 1999. It didn't preclude her from having other jobs or even working for another company in short term contracts. Ned had insisted on reviewing the contract for her and had made sure of that. There was also the issue that Jax considered dating him part of her contract and she was pretty sure many self-respecting women and perhaps even the SEC would have a field day with that. Unfortunately, Brenda herself didn't feel up to challenging any of that.

"Well, perhaps if I had more than eight hours of notice that I was expected to attend this I would be more prepared and flexible. Anyway, I need to get home and fix lunch for Katelyn so I have to go. I'll see you tonight," Brenda said. Then she closed her phone quickly before Jax could protest.

XXXXXXXX

While she waited on an antique sofa in the lobby of the Port Charles Hotel Carly Ashton looked at her sparkly silver nails and smiled. She supposed she could get used to a life of facials, manicures, and shopping. Or maybe she could. It was one thing to watch Dynasty with Simone and fantasize about marrying into a family like the Carringtons. It was another thing to actually marry into the Quartermaine family, especially if that meant inheriting the Honorable Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler as a mother in law.

Although she would never admit it to anyone, even Simone, Carly was both terrified and intrigued by her husband's mother. She was an accomplished attorney who had become a judge. But more notably she was polished and articulate in a way Carly was quite certain she would never be, and she supposed that caused her to question if her mother in law really thought it was great that she and Ned had found each other. Of course, she claimed that she did. She had even dropped off a hand knit blanket for the baby a few days earlier. Ned had conveniently gone back to the office so it had been up to Carly to at least pretend the blanket was like the greatest gift ever. She had probably failed. So, once again, she was quite certain her mother in law was onto her.

As Carly continued to stew over her mother in law, a petite brown-haired woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties came into the lobby and promptly sat down beside her on the couch. Carly forced a smile although she really wanted to scream is there some reason you couldn't sit on any of the four other completely empty couches or five empty wing chairs?

The brown-haired woman smiled back and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Caitlin Longsworth Hornsby, you're Ned Ashton's wife, right?"

"Yes, I'm Carly Ashton."

"Our family also attends Trinity Episcopal Church so I saw you last Sunday but didn't want to overwhelm you. I think you met my mother Audrey Longsworth at the bible study at the Quartermaines last night."

Carly nodded. She had met far too many people to actually remember all of their names. Audrey Longsworth had stood out a bit because she had been lauding Dr. Monica Quartermaine's praises. Apparently, she had saved her granddaughter Audra's life. "Yes, I'm glad to hear your daughter is doing better. We prayed for her continued healing last night," Carly said.

"Audra is actually my niece. She is my brother Joey's daughter but I am sure that he and his wife Jeanine appreciate all of the prayers. When I spoke to him this morning, he said that she might be discharged tomorrow if she continues to do so well."

"That's great," Carly said.

"Yes, it is. It is definitely proof that God works through us. If Monica hadn't made the diagnosis so quickly things could have been different."

Carly nodded again. She was glad that Caitlin's niece was going to be alright. Of course, she didn't want a child to suffer but the whole idea of God working miracles was kind of lost on her. She didn't feel like she could admit that so she just tried to look moved.

"Well, I have a spa appointment at noon, but I'm glad we got a chance to chat. Perhaps we can do lunch one day next week," Caitlin said.

"Sure, that would be nice," Carly said just as she saw Ned walk through the front door of the hotel. She would say it was perfect timing, but true perfect timing would have involved Ned arriving about ten minutes earlier and saving her from her little chat with Caitlin.


	48. Chapter 43: Thinking Deep Thoughts

In her suite at the Port Charles Hotel, Katherine Bell stretched out in the claw foot bathtub. Beneath a mound of bubbles, Katherine had a sudden and disconcerting thought. _What if Stefan had told Ned what she had done a year earlier_? _That could explain the slightly chilly reception she had received earlier from Ned. But would Stefan do that? Unfortunately, Katherine couldn't be sure._

XXXXXXXX

PCPD Officer Fred Johnson's eyes started to cross as he went through the online portal to Pennsylvania DMV records. He looked up to the ceiling for just a minute when his fellow officer Brian Beck came into the room.

"How's it going?" Brian Beck asked.

"I've gotten through perhaps a quarter of the potential tags. So far none should be on a black jeep. This is worse than trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"You don't have much of the plate either, right?" Brian asked.

"Just the first two letters AC and then the last digit is 9. We went back through the footage and that is the best we can get at the angle the camera hit the plate."

"Is there any possibility the car is still there?" Brian asked.

"I'm not completely inept!" Officer Johnson said indignantly. _Ok, so cruising through the parking lot and making sure the car wasn't still there had actually been Detective Garcia's idea but it wasn't._

"I really wasn't implying that. Sometimes we all overlook the obvious. Can you find when it pulled out on the footage and maybe get a better shot of the plate there?"

"No, the camera pans so it must have left the lot when the camera was shooting the other side of the lot sometime around eight o'clock on Saturday morning."

"That's rough man, I'm sorry. Hey, it could be worse, you could be on patrol with Ted Wilson we're supposed to have a high of 45 and he's running the AC," Brian said.

As he went back to scrolling, Officer Johnson wasn't really sure of that.

XXXXXXXX

Jasper Jacks closed the file and reopened his email. His mind was still replaying the earlier conversation with Brenda. Ultimately, she had acquiesced but, for a moment, he had wondered if she was about to challenge him. He wouldn't say that was a complete turn off from the right woman. He just wasn't sure if Brenda was the right woman. Ironically Brenda's older sister, Julia, could have been the right woman and Jax hadn't give up hope that her best friend, Lois would end being the right woman.

In the meantime, he supposed he could do worse than Brenda Barrett, at least until she felt she had a right to have her own opinions and make her own choices. He wasn't sure that would be something he would be able to accept from someone like Brenda. Brenda was mostly a means to an end. She was eye candy with an added bonus that their relationship could serve as an antagonistic distraction for ELQ Pro Counsel, Ned Ashton. That could serve useful further down the road on his way to taking over ELQ. After all, he hadn't bought into ELQ because it was a solid corporation that should yield an excellent return on his investment. Truth be told it was, but that hadn't been the motivation for him. The motivation had been to beat Edward Quartermaine at his own game.

Almost twenty years earlier, in 1978, when Jax had been nearly eleven, ELQ Enterprises had taken the company public with a small IPO intended to fund their expansion into Pharmaceuticals. Their original IPO had only offered a total of forty shares, just under twenty percent of the company. Such a small public offering had virtually ensured that the company, and even the executive board, would remain in the hands of the Quartermaine Family. Twenty years later shareholders were rewarded handsomely with dividends but the company remained absolutely invulnerable to a hostile takeover.

The latter was what had led Jax to purchase his own ELQ stock in early 1996. More recently he had acquired five shares from Skye Chandler. She had apparently received the stock as part of her divorce settlement from Dr. Jeremy Jonathan Kinder; been unaware of the true worth of her asset; and been desperate to liquidate the same asset to pay a blackmailer. He was a man who thrived on challenge and overtaking ELQ fit the bill perfectly. There was nothing that would give him more pleasure than besting Edward Quartermaine at his own game. Edward thought that ELQ was impenetrable but Jax was sure he had overlooked to potential vulnerability of a downstream merger. That was what made it the perfect loophole to exploit.

XXXXXXXX

By the time Katherine Bell sat down to do her make up she had mostly convinced herself that even if Ned somehow had learned that their sex had been less than consensual on his part, she would be ok _. Was Ned Ashton really going to come forward and admit that he had been raped? He would never do that because he would basically become the laughingstock of corporate America. Where was the upside in that?_

XXXXXXXX

In the Quartermaine suite of the Port Charles Hotel, Carly Ashton slid her feet into a pair of silver pumps and then stood and smoothed the orchid purple cocktail dress over her abdomen and the very first hint of a baby bump. The combination of a retroverted uterus, a posterior placenta, and her first pregnancy had allowed her to get into the third trimester before there was any external visible hint that she might be pregnant. That would have been extremely convenient if the entire town hadn't been gossiping about her pregnancy long before then. She was sure that the gossip had only intensified when she had married Ned but being Ned Ashton's wife had it's perks. One of them was that the gossip no longer got back to her. Most people were smart enough to not offend the granddaughter, even if by marriage, of the man who signed their paychecks.

XXXXXXXX

Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler tried to channel patience as she waited for her six-year-old daughter to pack her ballet slippers into her bag and put on her coat. Shannon was always the last child to leave the dance studio. She was the one who always wanted to work on her positions or splits a little longer or have just one more try on a dance passage. It could never be argued she wasn't dedicated.

"Here, put on your coat and I'll zip your bag, we need to go," Tracy offered as she picked up the pink duffle bag.

"You said that last week!" Shannon seemed to protest but she did start to slide her arms into her coat.

Tracy smiled. She probably said it every week, although she supposed last week, when Shannon's usual Thursday class had been rescheduled for Friday, due to the instructor's mother's surgery, she had needed to get home so they could get ready for Ned and Carly's party. "Last week we needed to get ready for your brother's party."

"Ned and Carly are going to another party tonight. They get to go to a lot of parties," Shannon said as she zipped her coat.

Tracy supposed one could consider the Deception Shareholder's Reception a party. She suspected her son considered it more of an obligation, especially since it would require him to interact with Katherine Bell. She wondered if Carly had seen the event as just another party and wanted to go or if Ned had requested that she attend as his personal Katherine Bell barrier device. She had a feeling it was more the latter and she supposed that she owed her newest daughter in a law a debt of gratitude if that was the case.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Jake Marshak spotted his colleague Dr. Evelyn Lambert on 5 North and sat down beside her. "I need to change over," he said as he glanced at his watch. If he was lucky, he would have time to get home, shower and go with Danielle to her work cocktail party. He wanted to support her, especially since she had basically given up everything to move to Port Charles for him.

Eve raised an eyebrow. "You're changing over before six? Is this a first?"

"I started way before six this morning. Danielle wanted me to go to the Deception Shareholder's Cocktail Party tonight. It starts at seven and I doubt that scrubs go over well at the Port Charles Hotel."

Eve laughed. "No, probably not. Scott invited me but, someone has to stick around and save lives you know."

"This is a big deal for Danielle. It's her first big project since she took the job as Amy Morgan's assistant," Jake said.

"That's cool, I'm just giving you a hard time. Come on, change over so you won't keep your fiancée waiting."

"Thanks. Believe it or not the only thing you need to follow up on is cardiac enzymes on two patients. I put those cards on the top of the stack. Dr. Burgess always consults Cardiology if the enzymes are positive so I guess you can check an EKG and hope that someone nice is on call for Cardiology. Dr. Quartermaine lets you fax her the EKG at home if you have questions," Jake said as he extended a stack of cards.

Eve took the cards, glanced at them quickly and then shoved them in the pocket of her white coat. "Maybe I'll just hope the enzymes will be negative because Dr. Devlin is on call."

"Yeah, that sounds like a better option. The last time Dr. Devlin was on call he kept insisting I was supposed to be calling the fellow but there wasn't a fellow on call. Dr. Quartermaine had come in to put a line in one of her patients so I went down and found her in the CCU and she let me transfer the patient to her service in the CCU and started an Amiodarone Drip."

"Yeah, Monica is helpful like that and Karen told me that she said to call her personally if there were issues with a few of their patients so maybe if Dr. Devlin is being his usual less than helpful self, I'll just call her. Anyway, have fun!"

"Yeah, thanks," Jake said. Yet, as he headed back towards the elevator, he noted that Eve had said Monica, not Dr. Quartermaine, he wondered if she got to call her by her first name because she was dating her brother. Of course, that really wasn't any of his business.

XXXXXXXX

Steffi Brewster Alden shut her eyes as the makeup artist worked their magic. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. When she had taken advantage of her husband's business trip to go on a modeling call, she hadn't thought she had a prayer of getting the job, especially since it was a spokesmodel position. But then Katherine Bell had called her cell phone while she had been on the train back to the city.

She had returned to the apartment she and Cooper owned on Manhattan's Upper East Side and packed for an early morning return trip to Port Charles. Then she had assuaged a little guilt by personally putting Courtney to bed and reminding Zoey that it was Tyler's turn to provide snack for preschool on Friday and to make sure she checked with the bakery in the morning about the cookie delivery. When Cooper had called that evening, she had told him about how much Courtney had enjoyed leaves in Central Park. It was true, she had, even if it had been Zoey not her mother romping in them with her.

Zoey, the ever-eavesdropping nanny, had overheard and warned Steffi that eventually her lies would catch up with her. Zoey was probably correct but on principle but Zoey really had no clue what was at stake. Steffi hadn't been about to explain any of that so she had just told Zoey that she wasn't her friend, she was her employee and she could keep her opinions to herself or be prepared to find a new job.

Now Steffi was about an hour away from being announced as the newest Deception Cosmetics Spokesmodel and she couldn't be happier. Or at least that was what she kept telling herself.

XXXXXXXX

Danielle Ashley surveyed Evening Song, the upscale piano lounge of the Port Charles Hotel where the Shareholder's Reception was being held. She had never been inside before she had been tasked with planning the reception. When not closed for private events, entrance to the lounge was restricted to hotel guests and those able to pay the two-hundred-dollar cover fee for live music.

"This really looks great, Danielle! Have you ever considered becoming an event planner?" Amy Morgan asked as she came into the room.

Danielle laughed nervously. "I worked for a catering company during most of college. I went to a ton of upscale parties so I guess I just went with what I've seen," she said.

"Well, I think you did great! Last year Katherine hired this super expensive wedding planner from Manhattan. Of course, this year she forgot to hire anyone and dumped the whole thing in my lap last month when it was far to late to contract anyone. You completely saved me by pulling all of this together. I know maybe you're still hoping to resurrect your acting career but if you and Jake decide to stay in Port Charles after his residency you should really consider that or I could talk to Ned about other opportunities for you at ELQ," Amy said.

"You don't have to do that. Seriously, I'm just happy you hired me as your assistant when I had so little experience."

"I'm happy I hired you as my assistant! Seriously, I don't want you to leave so I can find more projects like this for you. Don't worry if Katherine tries to poach you, I will completely plead your case to Uncle Edward and we will either find you another position at ELQ or a way to continue working with me."

Danielle still remembered Katherine's derisive attitude when they had met a month ago. "I highly doubt that Katherine Bell would choose me to do anything," she said.

"Katherine goes through roughly one secretary a month and usually her first approach is to steal someone else's. She just stole Lacey from Jeremy last month so it's probably about time but I promise I'll fight for you."

"Uh, thanks," Danielle said.

"Well, I mean if you want to go work with Katherine, then ok. Technically, I partly let her take Sherri because she thought that being secretary to the CEO would look better. She wasn't one of my smartest secretaries and I think she lived to regret that but she got a job at Baldwin, Jordan, and Baldwin a few months ago so I guess it worked out in the end for her."

"Katherine is my half-sister," Danielle said. After the words were out, she regretted them. She had no idea why she had told Amy that.

"Oh, wow, I guess that is how you're related to Scott Baldwin. Somehow I thought you were related on his mother's side."

"No, Katherine, Dominique, and I are all half-sisters. So, I'm really only related to Scott by marriage."

"I'm sorry. Obviously, I didn't know your sister Dominique, but from everything I have heard she was amazing."

"That is what everyone tells me. I never knew her either. I only learned that I was really Avery Stanton's daughter after Dominique died. Getting to know Serena has been such a blessing and from Scott's stories I have a sense of who she was."

"I'm sorry, now I understand why you encouraged me not to take my sister for granted. I assure you I don't. I love Chloe, it's just a little complicated."

"I think I understand," Danielle said. It was kind of like she loved Jake but everything with Rex made it so complicated.


	49. Chapter 44: Just Smile Through the Pain

When he drove his BMW through the wrought iron gates that led to the Quartermaine Mansion Jasper Jacks wasn't thinking about the woman he was about to pick up. Rather his mind was on Lois Cerullo. His private investigator had come up with nothing, or at least nothing Jax hadn't already known. Regardless he was still convinced that she was up to something. So, he had done the logical thing and hired a different investigator.

Jax parked at the top of horseshoe shaped driveway and got out of his car. He smiled a bit noting that he was likely blocking in Edward's limousine. As he made his way along the inlaid stone path to the expansive marble porch his cell phone rang. He frowned when he realized it was his brother. "Not exactly a good time, Jerry," he said.

"Is there ever?" Jerry retorted.

Jax shook his head.

"Ok, I'll make this quick. I spoke with Dad and he thinks the Cassadine Proposal has potential. I've been authorized to take the next steps. Just wanted to keep you in the loop, Baby Bro!" Jerry said. Then, before Jax could even begin to protest he terminated the call.

Jax slid his phone back into his breast pocket with frustration and then released some of the frustration into the doorbell. On the other side of the door he heard Edward Quartermaine bellow "Reginald!".

The door was pulled open by a slightly sheepish appearing Emily Quartermaine. "Oh, hi, Mr. Jacks, I'll let Brenda know you're here," she said as she stepped aside and let him enter the formal foyer.

Edward Quartermaine blustered in from the living room dressed in a sports jacket with a bow tie. He glared a bit in Jax's direction. "What is he doing here?" he asked.

"He is picking up Brenda. Oh, and if you're looking for Reginald, I think he and Grandmother are in the limousine waiting for you," Emily said before she made her own exit.

Edward actually had the humility to appear mildly chagrinned as he pulled an overcoat from one of the foyer closets. He made his way towards the door opened it and then turned back. "Ah, Mr. Jacks it appears you're blocking in my limousine you will need to move your vehicle at once."

For some reason Jax could only laugh.

"Of all the idiocy! Monica!" Edward bellowed.

Dr. Monica Quartermaine came into the room from the East Hallway. "Do I even want to know?" she asked.

"You're always reminding me that this is your house, now that is only because my son gave it to you, but alas can you call the police and request a tow as Mr. Jacks is impeding my limousine and refuses to move his vehicle."

"I swear the two of you deserve each other. I am not going to waste valuable police resources with your driveway skirmish. Of course I can't imagine that Brenda would want to go out for an evening with someone less mature than my three year old so perhaps you could resolve this like men," Monica said then she turned on her heal and headed back down the hallway presumably towards the kitchen.

Jax decided that he had had his fun and went out to move his car.

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett finished pulling her hair into an up do and glanced over at Emily who was sitting on her bed. "So Jax and Edward were already bellowing at each other?" she asked.

"I suppose technically most of or maybe all of the bellowing was from Grandfather. Jax just blocked in his limousine and wasn't in a huge hurry to move his car. Grandfather was bellowing for mom when I came upstairs."

Brenda shook her head. "Why?"

"Why does Jax antagonize Grandfather?" Emily asked.

"I was sort of more wondering why I have anything to do with Jax."

Emily laughed. "Well, he is cute. Of course, so was Chris Floyd and he is a complete jerk and so not worth my time so, yeah," she said.

"Maybe the key is to find a gorgeous guy who doesn't realize that he is gorgeous," Brenda said.

"That is definitely a plus. Like Nikolas Cassadine is actually very humble if you get to know him. He just appears aloof," Emily said.

"So, Nikolas?" Brenda asked as she reached for some mascara.

"We're just friends and I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a child. He and Sarah Webber are dating and I'm happy for her really," Emily said.

"It's ok if you're not. It doesn't make you a horrible person," Brenda suggested as she applied mascara to her upper lashes.

"Oh, I'm not being noble, I mean Nikolas will be eighteen in December. Grandfather would have a conniption because of the age gap and then there is the whole Cassadine thing," Emily said.

Brenda found her explanation intriguing. Most teens, herself included, were just even more interested in dating those their parents labeled forbidden. "You are so much more reasonable and mature than I was at your age, maybe than I am now," she said.

"My first mother was a very practical and realistic person and I guess it rubbed off. I mean if Nikolas is meant to be my one true love, if such a thing exists, then he will find me after I'm eighteen when everyone else's opinion is just that, an opinion."

"That is definitely one way to look at it," Brenda said. It was basically the opposite of how she had approached things with Sonny. Of course, perhaps that was the point.

XXXXXXXX

Edward Quartermaine helped his wife transfer from the limousine into her chair outside The Port Charles Hotel. "Fortunately, the drama with Mr. Jacks didn't detain us too long, my dear. It is still ten minutes before seven. You know it would not do for the hosts to be late for their own party," he said as they made their way inside.

"Edward, this is a Deception Cosmetics Reception. Although Deception became an ELQ Subsidiary last summer I think it is very important that we not lose sight of the woman who's legacy the company represents."

"Of course, my dear," Edward said as he and Lila made their way into Evening Song. He knew he really couldn't say anything else. He had overheard one of his ELQ Directors lamenting about happy wife, happy life and decided that although superficial and trite the phrase was also quite profound.

"Oh, this is lovely! I think it is so much better than that overpriced event planning firm Katherine hired last year," Lila said once they were inside the piano lounge.

"I agree," their grandson, Ned, said as he joined them with his wife in tow.

Edward smiled. Ned and Carly definitely made a good-looking couple. Lois had certainly been striking but Edward didn't think he had ever seen her arrive at a social event looking coordinated with her husband. Carly stood beside her husband wearing a purple dress which coordinated with his bowtie and pocket square. They just looked like they belonged together and Edward was beginning to see that they really did.

"Yes, Amy always does an excellent job," Edward said. He turned to face Carly more directly. "We're glad you could join us this evening, Carly. You look enchanting as always. My grandson is certainly a lucky man."

Ned wrapped an arm around his wife. "That I am, indeed, that I am, grandfather," he said.

"Thank you, and thank you, Mrs. Quartermaine for letting me borrow these earrings. I think you were right with how they are an often-overlooked accessory," Carly said.

"They look wonderful on you, dear, you really should keep them," Lila said.

"Are you sure? I do love them but you were already so generous with the jewelry you gave me as a wedding gift," Carly said.

"I do insist, dear. I know that classic jewelry is not always appreciated but some pieces really are timeless and I want my children and grandchildren to be able to carry that forward."

"Well, if you insist, I assure you that I will cherish and treasure these and they will always remind me of you. Perhaps someday Ned and I will have a daughter I can pass these on to."

"Oh, that would be wonderful, dear!" Lila said.

Edward could smile at the idea of many additional grandchildren.

XXXXXXXX

Katherine Bell entered Evening Song on Nikolas Cassadine's arm. "I'm glad you could step in for your uncle on such short notice. I hate to attend these things alone," she said.

"Of course, I am sure that Uncle Stefan has a lot to catch up on after his trip to Greece," Nikolas said.

Katherine smiled. From Nikolas's response it was clear that he didn't realize that his uncle had ended their relationship. A small part of her clung to the hope that perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding and that Stefan would explain and beg for her forgiveness. A much larger part was way past forgiveness and ready to make him pay.

XXXXXXXX

As he sat on a bench in the Quartermaine foyer, Jasper Jacks was quickly losing patience. In the thirty minutes he had been waiting for Brenda, Dr. Alan Quartermaine had walked past him without acknowledgement as he was seemingly talking to some intern on his cell phone on his way out the door. Then some kid, who was likely Alan and Monica's younger son, Jax couldn't really be bothered to keep all of their children straight, had navigated a robot through the foyer. Then the front door opened and Allison Quartermaine came through it with another teen. This brought Dr. Monica Quartermaine into the foyer.

"Oh, Jax, I didn't realize you were still here, I'm sure Brenda will be down shortly" Dr. Monica Quartermaine said.

Monica then turned to her daughter and friend and pulled them both into a hug. "I am so proud of both of you! I'm sorry we couldn't be there in person but I assure you that next weekend neither your father or I have Saturday call responsibilities, and we're going to make it to your regional tennis tournament."

"Thanks, AJ and Keesha were there so that was nice. I understand that sometimes you and dad have to, well, save lives, and you know that is ok. Actually, it's more than ok," Allison Quartermaine said.

"Your father and I appreciate your understanding. Faith, your mother dropped all of your stuff off on her way to the airport this morning and it is up in Allison's room. She called this evening to give us the numbers for the hotel and said she should be testifying tomorrow morning and she is hoping to get a plane back to Port Charles tomorrow evening."

"Well if Congress reauthorizes funding for the Ryan White Act then I think we can say Faith's mom is saving more than a few lives as well," Allison said.

"I agree. Why don't you take your stuff upstairs and shower and I can reheat some tortellini for you," Monica said.

The saccharine conversation was enough to push Jax over the edge. "Are you sure that Emily actually told Brenda I was here? I've been waiting for over half an hour!" he said.

"I am sure that Emily told Brenda you were waiting. I believe that Brenda was not expecting you until seven o'clock so she probably wasn't ready when you showed up slightly after six thirty. When Allison and Faith take their stuff upstairs, I suppose they can remind Brenda you are still waiting. Although I doubt she has forgotten," Monica said. Then she effectively ended discussion by ushering her daughter and friend down the East Hallway.

Jax resented the gesture. He knew that the main staircase led to the East Wing where Brenda's suite was. It was right there and he had half a mind to ascend it himself. But, no, Dr. Quartermaine would send her daughter up the kitchen stairs which would take longer because his time was not her priority.

XXXXXXXX

Allison Quartermaine led her friend Faith Ward up the kitchen stairs and then down the hall to her room where she set her bags and tennis racket down.

"Mr. Jacks definitely did not look thrilled," Faith said as she laid her backpack and tennis case down against Allison's desk.

"No, he didn't. He usually doesn't but I guess I should go remind Brenda that he is still waiting. That means you score the first shower! There are a stack of clean towels in the closet in the bathroom and if you forgot shampoo or anything feel free to use anything of mine or Em's" Allison said.

Faith laughed. "Alli, I love you but you're a white girl and my hair will be a brittle tangled mess if I use your shampoo," she said.

"Umm ok, well then I guess I hope you didn't forget anything, but if you did, we can figure something out."

"Nah, I'm good. My mom is hypervigilant about hair and skin care so even if I hadn't packed carefully, she would have double checked and added it," Faith said.

As she walked out of her room and started down the hall to Brenda's room, Allison considered what Faith had said. Faith had been one of her best friends since she had friends but there was so much she would probably never understand because she didn't live her life in black skin. She could take a lot for granted and Faith never got to meet her own grandfather because he was murdered when his church was firebombed by a KKK offshoot group.

"So, don't shoot the messenger, but Jax is still downstairs waiting anything but patiently," Allison said when she reached Brenda's open door.

Brenda laughed. "I'm sure he is. Someone should tell him that fashionably late is actually a thing, especially for cocktail parties you never wanted to go to in the first place."

Allison laughed. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing that. Anyway, I've done my civic duty by reminding you that he is still downstairs not so silently simmering and hasn't vanished as much as you might have hoped for it. On that note, I'm going to get ready to take a shower as soon as Faith is out of my bathroom because I just played four full sets of tennis in a dustbowl and desperately need one."

"Yeah, congratulations on that, AJ called said you and Faith are Sectional doubles champions. So, does this mean you go to the state tournament?"

"Next weekend is the regional team finals and then that feeds into the state team tournament. After that is over the state single/double tournament is at the beginning of November. By winning the sectional title we get to play in that regardless."

"That's cool," Brenda said.

"Yeah, so, this is really none of my business but if you really don't want to go out with Jax then can't you just say that?" Allison asked.

"I'm probably being melodramatic. I guess I'm just not looking forward to seeing Katherine and everyone from Deception."

"Do you regret switching to Jax Cosmetics?" Allison asked.

"I don't regret getting away from Katherine. I guess maybe I just didn't end up with a CEO that was much better and I'm dating him so that makes it even worse."

"I'm sorry and admittedly I'm fourteen but I happen to know a really amazing contract attorney who I'm sure would help you find some exit clause or golden parachute in your contract," Allison said.

"Yeah, I probably have the most model favorable contract Jax has ever agreed to, thanks to Ned, it's just complicated."

"Do you feel like if you stop working for Jax it would end your relationship? Do you think that would be a bad thing?" Allison asked.

"You may be fourteen but you ask all the right questions and I guess I'm not really sure about either question. So, I guess that means I've kept Jax waiting long enough and it's time to go face everything."

"Well, I hope you have fun, or at least not a horrible time. I'm sure Katherine will be Katherine but you can always hang out with Grandmother or Ned and Carly. I know Lucky hates her because he blames her for breaking up his Aunt Bobbie's marriage but I don't think it is all as simple as he believes."

"You mean because Bobbie cheated on Tony with Damian long before Carly ever came to town?"

"Well that, but also statistically a lot of marriages don't survive the death of a child. Ned and Lois's marriage didn't. So perhaps, even if Carly had never come to Port Charles, the Joneses would have still divorced."

"True, and I actually agree that maybe Carly isn't as bad as I thought. To be fair I probably didn't really know her and just kind of followed Robin's lead there."

"Well Emily and I have decided we're going to try to just start with a clean slate. After all she is Ned's wife now and she will be the mother of Ned's child," Allison said.

"Speaking of that, shouldn't someone be throwing her a baby shower?" Emily asked as she joined her sister in the doorway to Brenda's room.

"Uhh, yeah, someone should probably throw her a shower but definite dibs on not it," Brenda said.

"Yeah, well I'm thirteen, so…yeah….." Emily said.

"Ok, well, uh, if someone else plans a shower I'll come up with a gift so let me know and now I really am going to go downstairs and meet Jax," Brenda said as she finally stood up from the vanity in her room as Emily and Allison stepped back into the hall to let her exit her room.

"Awesome job at your tennis match by the way!" Emily said after Brenda had started down the front stairs.

"Thanks! Faith was amazing."

"I thought she was going to spend the night tonight?"

"She is, she's in the shower. Once she is done, I'm going to finally get to wash off all of this grime."

"Oh, ok, I went downstairs and finished my Geometry problem set in Dad's study. I made the mistake of going back through the foyer on my way back upstairs. Jax is practically spitting nails. I mean I guess now Brenda actually is late because it is almost seven fifteen but he showed up about thirty minutes before he was supposed to pick her up so I think he was furious before she was even late," Emily said.

"I think she sensed that too. I think she really didn't want to go out with him."

"No, I don't think she did. I don't know, I kind of wish that she and Miguel would get back together. He was always so nice to her."

"Yeah, he was. Actually, I think he still is. So maybe there is still hope," Allison said.

"Grandmother Lila would say there is always hope," Emily said.

XXXXXXXX

Scott Baldwin declined the champagne which was being passed. He wasn't in the mood to celebrate even if Deception Cosmetics revenue had achieved an all-time high. _How could he celebrate when his daughter had been taken from him?_

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton followed her husband's eye to the young women who stood talking with his grandparents. From a distance she appeared quite attractive. She was slim with all the right curves and dress which hugged them perfectly. Her light brown hair cascaded down to her shoulders in gentle curls which framed her face. Carly was pretty sure she hadn't grown up in a trailer park.

Perhaps Ned noticed that she noticed because he said, "I keep forgetting Trisha has Deception Stock. I think this is the first shareholder's event she has attended. We should go over and say hello, it is only polite."

"Ok, but first tell me the backstory. Obviously, there is a history between the two of you," Carly said.

"Her grandparents, Isabella and Cabot Alden, were friends with my grandparents. So, I saw Trisha and her older brother Curtis who is closer to John's age sometimes at their parties."

"But you never dated her?"

"I escorted her to a few formal events when we were both seventeen and eighteen. Perhaps her grandparents hoped something might come of it but she was in love with this guy Steve Sowolsky who she married the next summer. Tragically, he was killed in a bank robbery."

"He robbed a bank?"

"No, he was just in the bank at the wrong time. He actually was a bit of a hero he stepped into the line of fire to protect Trisha's cousin's wife and their baby."

"That's sad."

"Yes, it was. I think grandmother is trying to get our attention we should go over there," Ned said.

Reluctantly Carly interlaced her fingers with her husband and followed him across the room.

Ned laid an open palm gently on the shoulder of mystery woman. "Trisha, hello, it is great to see you, again. I would love you to meet my wife, Carly Ashton. Carly, this is Trisha Alden McKenzie. She and her husband own McKenzie Construction."

"Hello Carly, it is nice to meet you. Lila was just telling me that you're originally from Florida. My sister in law and her husband live in Key West," Trisha said.

"I grew up in Miami. That should be about three hours from Key West but traffic is crazy so if you make it under four and a half hours you're doing well."

"Oh, yes, the first time we visited them Trucker thought we could fly into Miami and drive. That was a nightmare so now we fly directly into Key West," Trisha said.

"Lila and I spent our honeymoon in the Everglades National Park. We took a boat trip to Key Largo and Key West. That was a great week," Edward said.

"Oh, yes my dear it was," Lila murmured.

Carly decided it was not the time to mention that she and Ned spent their honeymoon outside of Bingham Canyon, Utah. She supposed even that could be romantic if you were into hiking and canyons. She wasn't particularly and the plan for the trip had hardly been romance. Ned had previously arranged to spend the week in Utah working with his cousins Quentin and Celia and Carly had decided to go with it. _She decided she had disrupted Ned's personal life enough with their marriage why go after his professional life as well?_

"We had a working honeymoon, and before you chastise me too much, Carly knows I owe her a proper honeymoon when life settles down," Ned said.

Ned's words surprised Carly. She wondered if he really felt that way or if he was just saying it because it was what he should say if their marriage was real. _But their marriage wasn't real. Or it wasn't supposed to be real;_ _but lately Carly found herself getting a little confused._

"Just make sure you put some effort into life settling down, Ned. After all, we're all living on borrowed time," Trisha said.

Ned wrapped an arm more securely around his wife. "Point well taken, truly," he said.

"What is he doing here?" Edward asked abruptly.

Instinctively Carly turned to see that Jasper Jacks had walked in with model Brenda Barrett on his arm.

"He still owns some Deception stock, grandfather," Ned said.

"Regardless, he tried and failed to take over Deception so any other man with any integrity or self-respect would just quietly sell his shares and move on with his life elsewhere," Edward said.

"Perhaps, dear, but as I told you at Ned and Carly's reception, you will find a way to peacefully co-exist with Mr. Jacks or we will need to leave," Lila said.

"I'm going to make sure the waiters know not to serve champagne to any of our underage guests. I suppose at least Mr. Jacks restricts himself to college students. Someone should discuss with Ms. Bell how inappropriate it is for corporate executives to show up to events with dates who aren't even old enough to vote," Edward said before he stalked off in the direction of one of the waitstaff.

"Why do I have an uneasy feeling that by someone grandfather means me?" Ned asked.

"Probably because he does. I'm sorry, that is why the closest I got to Alden Enterprises was teaching at a University to which they contributed a significant corporate endowment," Trisha said.

"They also own the physical campus, right?" Ned asked.

"From what our probate lawyers tell us, yes. Of course, the university seems to have lifetime tenancy so the land can't be sold, even to the university it seems. My cousin, Cooper, tried that two years ago when he decided to funnel all Alden Enterprises money and assets into the Alden Hege Fund."

"He has done well with that," Ned remarked.

"He actually has. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure he would but with us being the only two surviving Alden heirs I decided he needed my support more than he needed my financial opinion. Plus, Trucker and I have built a quite simple life away from all of the trappings of the kind of wealth I grew up with and I think we're giving Christopher so much more than I ever had, at least of the important things. Don't take this the wrong way I think you can be incredibly financially successful and have the kind of family connections that nurture and sustain but I didn't. I suppose to be fair my father and Aunt Anne didn't and I think that had a lot of impact on who they married, how much they avoided parenting, and it all fell out from there. Trucker and I want so much more for our son."

Carly wondered if Trisha would be so cavalier about wealth if she grew up without it. _Probably not._

"I think you made the right decision there. It can be hard with family corporations but I think you have to remember at the end of the day the family relationship is what is really important," Ned said.

"Your grandfather might not admit that aloud but he would be so proud to hear you say that," Lila said.

"Actually, in his own way, Grandmother, I think he has," Ned said.

Carly wondered about that as well. Perhaps it wasn't odd that Ned was the first grandchild to return to ELQ. He was the oldest after all and the only one except for Jason who was old enough to be done with college. Of course, none of Edward's children had wanted to work for ELQ so in a way Ned returning home was unique. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She had heard all of the rumors. Ned's first wife married him because he was the ELQ heir apparent; and his second wife divorced him for almost the same reason.

Carly knew she could come to enjoy Ned's money. But there was still a part of her that was pretty sure she would give it all up to go ride off on Jason's motorcycle. Or at least she would have before she was pregnant. The irony of the last part was not lost on her since it was Jason's baby she was carrying. _Ned had stepped up to the plate to raise his cousin's baby and he was being incredibly kind to her in the process. It was hard to argue that wasn't love. Was it love for Jason? Was it love for an innocent defenseless child? Or could it possibly be love for Carly herself?_

 _*To all of my readers who have commented that you're really liking Ned and Carly (and kind of regretting the part of this where that will end), I get it. I hope I can pull off how Ned and Carly's relationship gets them both to a place where they are ready to really be with their soulmates in ways neither of them could have before. So, it's so much more of a be glad this happened than sorry that it's over. Someone shared a favorite line where Ned tells Chloe "...please-please, I care about you. You're one of my favorite ex-wives." I can see him being in a place where he could totally say this if Carly lapsed into destructive mode after going back to Jason. I can also see Carly telling Ned to remarry Lois so she (Carly) can be his favorite ex-wife. I haven't written that far but it may pop up in the future.*_


	50. Chapter 45: Clandestine Cliques

Brenda Barrett forced a smile when Edward Quartermaine handed her a glass of ginger ale, his tactful way of reinforcing that the champagne was not for those under age twenty-one. She supposed it could have been a Shirley Temple. "Thank you, Edward," she said.

"Of course, my dear, you looked a little lonely over here all by yourself," Edward said.

Brenda noted that Edward's eyes were much more focused on the other side of the room, where Jax was having some very animated but hushed conversation with Katherine Bell and Nikolas Cassadine stood about ten feet away out of earshot, than her face."Yes, apparently Katherine appears to have stolen my I should return the favor."

"Since my poor niece Alexandria's untimely demise, I can't in good conscience recommend you take up with a Cassadine, even if it would solve my corporate image problem," Edward said.

Brenda started to laugh but then caught herself quickly and realized he was likely dead serious. She had met Alexander and Andrea Quartermaine at Ned and Lois's wedding. She had also heard the story that they had been conceived the night of their older sister's funeral when their parents turned to comfort sex in their grief. Pregnancy in her mid-fifties apparently hadn't been a great thing for Abbra Quartermaine and she had suffered a stroke shortly after giving birth to the twins who were almost a year older than Allison Quartermaine.

"You mean because Katherine showed up with Nikolas?" Brenda asked.

"He isn't even eighteen. There are laws against that in New York State!"

"You know, Edward, for someone who opposes premarital sex, you should consider that it is possible to date underage partners without committing statutory rape," Brenda said. She had dated Sonny Corinthos for over a year before she turned eighteen and he had never committed statutory rape.

Edward laughed. "Of course, dear, but we're talking about Katherine Bell here," he said.

XXXXXXXX

"If you're worried that someone has figured out what we did thirteen months ago, I wouldn't think that causing a scene here would be the best way to dispel the rumors," Jasper Jacks hissed.

"I just want to be sure we're in agreement. You also need to know that if I go down for this, I'll be sure that the PCPD knows where I got the drugs," Katherine said.

"You have no proof of any of that," Jax said.

Katherine cackled. "Surely you don't believe that. I dated Damian Smith; I know all about paper trails," she said. Technically what she said was true but she was afraid that Jax could see through her words and knew that she didn't have any direct proof that the rohypnol she had given Ned had come from Jax.

Jax glared at her for a moment but didn't speak.

Katherine forced a smug smile. For the moment she needed to keep him believing that she could possibly have some proof of his involvement. Then she noticed a familiar face lurking. The girl's name escaped her, although she knew she worked at Deception. She had tried to speak to her a few months ago but Katherine had laughed in her face and kept moving. _Some people just never learned._

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Amy wanted me to see if you were ready to introduce the new spokesmodel. She said that the board members are meeting for dinner at 8:30 so she wanted to make sure there was sufficient time for the announcement."

Katherine flashed the most condescending look she could muster. "I will make the announcement when it is time. I don't take orders from my lackeys. I certainly don't take orders from the lackeys of my subordinates."

The girl turned and slunk away. Katherine smiled.

Jax offered a silent clap. "You're evil!"

Katherine was pretty sure he intended it as a compliment.

XXXXXXXX

Danielle Ashley bit her lip and fought off the tears as she made her way across the room. Her grandmother would have told her that Katherine had her own issues. As much as Danielle was sure she did, especially after her conversation with Scott the night before, it still hurt.

"I'm sensing that did not go well. I'm sorry I should have sent you to talk to Ms. Murdoch."

"It's ok, Katherine will make the announcement when she feels the time is right," Danielle said.

"Of course, she will. Doing otherwise would require someone else might occasionally have valuable input. I'm sorry, I should have known that and known how she would react."

"Can I ask you a question?" Danielle asked.

"Sure," Amy said.

"Is Katherine actually good at what she does? Or does she just make everyone miserable and take credit for everything you, Jeremy, and Ned actually accomplish?"

Amy didn't say anything for a few moments as if she was considering the question. Or perhaps considering how to answer diplomatically. "I suppose to be fair, part of being a CEO is being good at delegating. That is definitely something Katherine has mastered. According to Ned, before Katherine was installed as CEO, she did PR & Marketing and I think she does have some ability there so perhaps she isn't a horrible CEO. She might actually be a horrible person though and as her sister that must be incredibly hard to take and I'm sorry," Amy said.

"Yeah, but I guess since I survived twenty-two years without a sister, I should be used to it by now," Danielle said.

"Only child status has it's perks," Craig Everett said as he joined them along with Danielle's fiancé, Dr. Jake Marshak.

"Like?" Danielle asked.

Craig laughed. "Ok, now that I said that, I can't really think of a response that won't make me look like a selfish jerk who can't play nicely with others so maybe we can just forget I went there," he said.

"That might be good. But thanks for not coming to that realization when Chloe was visiting," Amy said.

"Ok, on a better note, Jake and I were thinking about dinner at the Post Road Diner after this. Believe it or not Jake has never been there," Craig said.

"Welcome to the life of an intern. I haven't been many places besides Port Charles General Hospital," Jake said.

Amy laughed. "See what you might be getting yourself into, Craig? Are you sure you want to do an oral surgery residency? Unfortunately, I have to attend the board dinner at 8:30 so I can't," she said.

"That's too bad. But, Jake, you and Danielle should go. I can give you directions."

"It's ok, I know how to find it," Danielle said.

"You do?" Jake asked.

"I went with Scott and Serena. I guess it was one of Dominique's favorite places," Danielle said wistfully.

XXXXXXXX

"So, is this a private evil conspiracy or can anyone join in?" Ned Ashton asked as he approached the corner where Jasper Jacks and Katherine Bell had been in deep discussion for at least twenty minutes.

"If you must know, we were discussing the concept of marrying down. I would imagine that is a topic you are intimately familiar with," Jax said.

Ned maintained his countenance. "I am sure you both underestimate and underappreciate my wife. I suppose that isn't anything new. Katherine, I expected a bit better from you but I suppose that is no matter. On that note, Grandfather is ready to address the shareholders and then he wants you to introduce the new Deception Spokesmodel so we can all get to the Board Dinner Meeting on time. I am sure I don't have to remind you that there are two issues the board must vote on this evening before the Shareholder's Meeting tomorrow," he said.

Katherine released a put-upon sigh. "You know Ned, you had such potential but it seems that each marriage just brings you down further," she said before she turned and started across the room.

Ned decided he would presume that she was leaving to make sure that their new Spokesmodel was ready. He nodded to his grandfather who made his way onto the stage. As his grandfather picked up a microphone which Ned doubted he truly needed to use, he made his way back to where Carly was sitting with his grandmother and Trisha Alden McKenzie.

"Good evening, I am Edward Quartermaine, the CEO of ELQ Enterprises. As most of you know Deception Cosmetics became an ELQ Subsidiary in July 1996. We thought this was only fitting since ELQ Diversified was one of the original investors in Deception Cosmetics. The ingenuity, perseverance, and quest for justice that Dominique Stanton-Baldwin displayed during her far to short life have always been valued by ELQ Enterprises as a corporation and by our family. I am proud to welcome you to our Shareholder's Event and look forward to this opportunity to meet all of who shared Dominique's vision and supported it financially. At 8:30 the Corporate Board Dinner Meeting will begin in the Empire Room. Tomorrow the Shareholder's Meeting will begin at nine in the Chapparal Salon and those of you who are joining us for the Golf Outing we will be meeting at Noon in the Lobby for travel to the Country Club. Now, it is my pleasure to introduce current Deception Cosmetics CEO, Ms. Katherine Bell, who will be introducing the new Deception Cosmetics Spokesmodel," Edward said.

Katherine made her way onto the stage and took the microphone from Edward. "Thank you, Edward, such kind words about my sister, Dominique. Now, without further delay, I would like to introduce our new spokesmodel, Steffi Alden."

Trisha McKenzie Alden gasped loudly and then turned to Ned. "Did you know about this?"

"Katherine has sole hiring discretion for anything under publicity or marketing. Any campaign or spokesmodels fall under that budget. I knew she had hired someone but I had no idea who it was," Ned said.

"But don't you prepare all of the contracts?" Trisha asked.

"Currently I do. Once we have hired a new junior counsel for ELQ then they may do a lot of the straight forward ones. I suppose if you're asking why I didn't catch the name when preparing the contract that is because technically, we haven't sent a contract yet."

XXXXXXXX

Steffi Alden forced a smile for the photographers. _On some level she had known that eventually Cooper would learn about her new job. She just hadn't planned on him knowing before she actually signed a contract. Exactly when had his cousin acquired Deception Cosmetics stock?_

As she forced more smiles Steffi realized that Trisha had slipped out of the room. If she had gone to call her cousin then Steffi was quite certain that life as she knew it was over. Cooper would be furious. He had made it quite clear he didn't want her to return to work. But Cooper was going to need to accept that it was the twentieth century and women could work. As much as Cooper might feel that his life would have been better if his mother hadn't worked, Steffi was quite certain her life would have been exponentially better if her mother had worked.


	51. Chapter 46: Waiting for the Weekend

October 10, 1997

In the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Port Charles General Hospital, Dr. Ryan Grabler tore the final prescription from his pad and passed it to his resident with a deep sigh. It had been a long morning, at the end of a long week, and he was very in need of a call free weekend. Fortunately, it was only hours away. "I've written my way through all my prescriptions, so, I guess that must mean we're done for the day, right?" he quipped.

Psychiatry PGY2, Dr. Louise Elaine Winters apparently missed his humor. "They keep some spare pads up at the front nurses' station. I can go retrieve one for you if necessary," she offered.

"I actually have another prescription pad, but I also think I've seen everyone on the list unless there are some other patients of Dr. Collins's that didn't get transferred to my list," Ryan said. Sadly, that was a distinct possibility. Apparently when Kevin had needed to leave town abruptly for a family emergency a month earlier it hadn't occurred to him to arrange for coverage for his patients. Eventually, as medications, seclusion orders, and involuntary holds expired, it became apparent that poor planning on Kevin's part was going to have to be considered an emergency on someone's part and somehow Ryan had found himself that designated someone. To be fair their department chair, Dr. Gail Baldwin had taken some of the patients as well but that had still left Ryan with two-thirds of them.

"Dr. Davis made the clerk double and triple check the list to make sure that all of Dr. Collin's patients were reassigned to someone other than him," Dr. Winters informed him.

Ryan decided he could appreciate Dr. Davis's degree of conscientiousness that ensured no patient was languishing in the PCGH inpatient unit without an attending psychiatrist or he could be annoyed by Dr. Davis's refusal to chip in toward the greater good. It was probably best if he focused on the former. "Ok, well on that note then I'm quite confident we truly are done for the day. Dr. Davis is on call tonight and then Dr. Baldwin has the weekend and Dr. Locke has the holiday on Monday. I am going to come in and round quickly on my patients early Saturday and Monday morning and I'll be in very early on Tuesday so we can get through rounds in time for me to make it to career lunch at my son's school."

"You have a son?" Dr. Winters asked.

"Yes, Dylan, he is in fifth grade this year."

"Isn't fifth grade a little early for him to decide he wants to be a psychiatrist?" Dr. Winters asked.

"I don't think Dylan has any interest in becoming a psychiatrist. Basically, I was his fourth choice. Steven Speilberg didn't write back, his mother went last year, and Eddie Maine has a prior commitment to his day job-an FDA hearing on some new Beta Blocker ELQ pharmaceuticals is trying to get final approval on, which basically left me, everyone's favorite overworked neighborhood psychiatrist."

"Eddie Maine? I saw him in concert at Navy Pier right before medical school graduation. It's definitely true what they say about those leather pants," Dr. Winters said. Then she must have thought better of her candidness because she looked down at the chart rack and for a good minute before slowly deflecting her eyes upwards to some neutral point on the wall.

Ryan decided that clarifying exactly what people said about his stepson's leather pants was not his best approach. "Also known as his brother, Ned Ashton -ELQ Corporate Counsel- but I'm sure that his Eddie Maine persona would have been more of a hit with the fifth graders at Lilac Park Elementary."

"Your son is Eddie Maine?" Dr. Winters asked. She picked a different point on the wall for her eyes but still didn't meet his.

"Technically, Ned is my stepson, Tracy was married to an English monarch thirty years ago. Technicalities often just make family more complicated though so he's Dylan and Shannon's big brother which is the most important thing."

"But truly, he would be their half-brother, right?" Dr. Winters asked.

"Yes, but that isn't anything Tracy or I feel the need to emphasize."

"Is it something that Ned feels the need to emphasize?" Dr. Winters asked.

In general Ryan felt it was advisable to keep a degree of professional distance in medicine, perhaps especially in Psychiatry. He definitely upheld that policy with patients. _His housestaff were a bit of a different matter he supposed. Or maybe they were._

"I wouldn't say that at all. There is a significant age gap between Ned and his younger siblings which doesn't provide for a typical sibling peer relationship but they still have a very close relationship."

"Well, I guess it works for some families," Dr. Winters said.

Ryan wasn't really sure what to make of his resident's comment. He suspected that she had half siblings she didn't feel connected to but wasn't sure it was appropriate for him to clarify that. "Ok, well, I need to stop at Rose Lawn and see a few patients before this day finally ends. I will be available by pager if you need anything," he said.

Ryan was just about to exit the unit when he saw his brother in law, Dr. Alan Quartermaine, and his usual resident entourage. After the usual exchange of pleasantries, Alan said, "We came up and rounded on Mr. Marlton, is he on your service?"

"No, Dr. Davis picked up that patient." Ryan said. He was still well aware of the patient Alan was referring to. The guy swallowed utensils regularly and got transferred back and forth between Hillcrest, his residential treatment center in Merrimack, and PCGH for the surgeons to remove forks and spoons from his GI tract via endoscopy. Or he had, yesterday as medical director for the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit at PCGH, Ryan had been informed that his residential center no longer felt they were an appropriate facility to care for him.

"Is Dr. Davis here? I just saw the patient and from our standpoint he could be discharged. I'm sorry we didn't get up here earlier but we had to add on a few cases in the main OR so I'm just coming out of the OR now at almost two o'clock in the afternoon. I know you like to get transfers in place much earlier on Fridays especially in the lead up to a holiday weekend and I do apologize for that."

"Somehow, Dr. Davis finished rounds at ten but he is on call and available by pager. Unfortunately, as medical director for this unit I can tell you that Mr. Marlton's residential treatment center has refused to take him back. Dr. Davis was aware of that this morning but I'm not sure if he reached out to case management about alternative placements. I can let case management know that from your standpoint he is suitable for discharge and that surgery is signing off."

"Thanks, Ryan, we appreciate it," Alan said.

"No problem, I'll walk out with you, I'm headed over to Rose Lawn to see a few patients before the weekend."

XXXXXXXX

In his office at ELQ, Ned Ashton turned his computer back on and sat back down at his desk. He had survived another Deception Cosmetics Annual Shareholder's Meeting. As an added bonus his grandfather would be tied up on the golf course at the Country Club for the next few hours so he was guaranteed a few interruption free hours to finish preparing for his FDA hearing.

Ned released a sigh as pulled up the file with the phase III trial data on Carvedilol. The efficacy and superiority studies looked good so it looked promising for FDA approval. Of course, nothing was certain until the FDA issued their approval. As he toggled through the spreadsheet that Dr. Ingstrom had created his intercom buzzed. Absently he hit the button without moving his eyes from his screen. "Yes, Staci," he said as he continued to scroll.

"Your cousin is here to see you, Mr. Ashton. I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed but well," Staci said. Her words trailed off without punctuation as if she felt there was more she should say but couldn't find the words.

Staci's apparent discomfort led Ned to presume it wasn't AJ waiting outside his office. "It's fine, Staci, just show him in," he said. He hadn't spoken to Jason since he had married Carly. Jason had told him it was likely better that way but Ned wondered about that.

Ned's presumptions were correct. Jason sauntered across his threshold then stood in front of his desk, shoved his hands in his pockets, and blinked twice for good measure. "I can come back later if this is a bad time?" he offered.

"No, no, it's fine. Please have a seat. Grandfather will be distracted on the golf course for a few hours and I was just trying to take advantage of the guaranteed peace and quiet to get some work done. I'm glad you're here. I've missed you and have really been meaning to call you," he said.

Jason remained standing. "That is actually part of why I stopped by. I'm going to need to go out of town for a bit and I wanted to make sure you had a way to reach me in case you needed anything."

Ned noted how carefully Jason chose his words. He supposed he had learned that from Sonny. Or maybe he had learned it again from Sonny. Jason had grown up the son of two attorneys and been trained as a Boston Police Detective. Before the accident subtlety and diplomacy had been considered art forms. Art forms his cousin had excelled with.

"Thank you, I appreciate that. We're family, Jase, we should always be there for each other."

Jason laid a card down on the desk. "This is the best number to reach me," he said.

"Am I allowed to ask where you're going?" Ned asked.

"It's probably better if you don't. I already went by the house to say goodbye to grandmother. I left a letter for Emily and one for Allison," Jason said.

Ned decided not to point out that Emily and Allison were not Alan and Monica's only children. He could kind of see they were the two at just the right age to understand what had happened, just accept Jason as he was, and not be confused by the frustration and even apparent anger that replaced gentleness. AJ was far too analytical and Kirk and Katelyn were really just too young.

"Ok, well stay safe, come back home to us," Ned said.

"I'll do what I can," Jason said simply and then he turned and walked out of Ned's office.

XXXXXXXX

Dara Jensen parked along the curb in front of 300 Pine Boulevard. The house in front of her was mostly made of stone and probably around twenty-five hundred square feet, both of which appeared typical for the neighborhood. Unlike most homes in the neighborhood it was not an owner-occupied property. No, the property in front of her was owned by the London Family Trust which was administered by Lee Baldwin. Trust documents granted lifetime tenancy of the home to Faye London Peterson and any of her direct descendants. Dara could only conclude there was no love lost between Roger Peterson and his in-laws, Harvey and Estelle London.

Dara released a frustrated sigh as she got out of her car and made her way to the Peterson's front door. She depressed the buzzer and waited. Just as she was about to press the buzzer again the door was pulled open and she stood face to face with a blonde-haired woman in her mid-forties. She was overweight but seemed to believe that if she crammed herself into the next size down she would appear svelte rather than like an overstuffed turkey, which in Dara's opinion she did.

"I'm sorry but we don't accept solicitations," Faye Peterson said.

"I'm not soliciting. I'm Dara Jensen from the Port Charles and Chapparal County Combined Prosecutor's Office. I need to speak with your daughter, I tried to reach you at the hospital but I was informed that Tiffany was discharged this morning," Dara said.

"Alright, come in," Faye said as if she was doing Dara a large favor.

Dara stood in the small foyer while Faye closed and then locked the door.

"I can't imagine why you would need to speak to Tiffany again. She already spoke to two different detectives. Don't you people ever talk to each other?" Faye asked.

"I assure you that I have gone over all of evidence of this case with Detectives Garcia and Jordan but that has left me with some questions I think only your daughter can answer," Dara said. She chose her words even more carefully than usual as it seemed that Faye Peterson was already on the warpath.

"I can't imagine how. The way your office has mishandled this case from the beginning has just made a horrible situation even worse. I am warning you, if Scott Baldwin does not spend the rest of his miserable life in jail, we will be suing."

"I understand that you want to see justice done. I assure you that our office has the same goals. You don't have to allow me to speak with your daughter but I don't see how we can successfully prosecute this case without her full cooperation."

Faye seemed to be considering Dara's words. "Alright, fine you can talk to her but I want to be present."

"That is of course your right, and I will certainly honor that if it is your request. Let me just say that in my experience often adolescents are uncomfortable giving details of the assault in front of their parents. It is thought that they want to protect their parents as of course all parents feel completely helpless when someone hurts their child."

"Fine, you win, you can speak to her alone but I'm telling her that it is up to her when the conversation ends."

"Mrs. Peterson, I assure you this is not about winning. I just want to see justice served," Dara said.

XXXXXXXX

The knock at the door startled Tiffany Peterson. "Just a minute, mom," she called quickly as she started stuffing wads of cash back into her bag. She zipped the bag and then tossed it into her closet and pulled the door shut. Then she crossed over to her bedroom door, undid the lock and opened it.

"Did you have the door locked? You know I don't like it when you and your brother lock your doors," her mother said.

"Sorry mom, force of habit, Ali always locks her door," Tiffany said.

"We don't lock doors in this house. This is Ms. Jensen from the DA's Office. She needs to ask you some more questions so they can put Mr. Baldwin away for good. I told her as soon as you say the word she needs to leave. I'll be downstairs," her mother said.

Tiffany saw the African American woman standing behind her mother. She had been on tv when Lucky Spencer's mom had been on trial for the murder of Damian Smith. "So, what questions do you have?" she asked.

"Perhaps it would be easiest if we just went back to the beginning."

Tiffany sensed the distrust. For a moment she wondered if the questions from the second detective had been an attempt to catch her in a lie. Then she wondered if they actually had caught her in a lie. "I can't keep retelling this! I thought being raped was bad but good grief the police basically raped me all over making me tell and retell this story. How am I supposed to heal?"

"I'm sorry, I am sure this is hard for you and I am sorry but we have new evidence which basically proves that Scott Baldwin couldn't have raped you," Dara said.

"Yeah, well I was there, my body says different!"

"No one is suggesting you weren't raped, Tiffany. We're just saying that it can't be the man you implicated originally."

"You're accusing me of lying!"

"No one is accusing you of lying. Sometimes things can get confused in our minds. Perhaps your rapist looked a lot like Scott Baldwin."

"My rapist was Scott Baldwin! That is my final story and I will stick to it. Now either you leave or I tell my mother that you're being mean to me. She won't like that and since her father is one of Mayor McClintock's campaign donors that won't exactly be good for you."

"I'm going to just leave you my card. If anything else comes to you please call or have your parents call," Dara said and then she started out of the room.

Tiffany smiled. She wasn't sure that the annoying Ms. Jensen had believed her story but at least she was out of her face.

XXXXXXXX

"Eureka! I think I found it!" Officer Fred Johnson exclaimed aloud. There was a black jeep registered in Pennsylvania with the plate ACE009. It appeared to be registered to Chandler Enterprises in Pine Valley, PA. With a few more clicks he printed out the registration and went to go talk to Detective Garcia.

XXXXXXXX

Danielle Ashley's cell phone started to ring as she and Amy stepped off the elevator at Deception.

"Go ahead and answer it if you want. Seriously you've already gone above and beyond for the week," Amy said.

With trepidation, Danielle pulled the phone from her oversized tote bag, and extended the antennae. "Hello," she said uneasily.

"Is there a reason you have been ignoring my calls?" Rex Stanton's angry voice boomed back at her.

"I'm at work now, this isn't really a good time," Danielle said.

"I'll determine when it's a good time. I need your help with something and the only acceptable answer is how can I help Uncle Rex," Rex said.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "What do you need?" she asked.

"I'm marrying Lucy," Rex began.

"Yes, I know, she called me after you proposed. I hope she passed on my congratulations to you. I probably should have called myself but I've been busy at work. Today was the Deception Cosmetics Shareholder's Meeting," she said.

"No, I mean I'm marrying Lucy Coe tonight."

"Uh Lucy didn't mention that."

"Everything at the Port Charles Hotel was booked so I had to reserve the banquet room at Chez Nous on the Square. I am going to need you to meet the florist there at six o'clock so they can decorate. Make sure they do something tasteful. Then it is your responsibility to get Lucy there by eight o'clock. Bring Jake and make sure he wears a tuxedo, we will need extra attendants."

Danielle was still trying to wrap her mind around the instructions when the line went dead. As had become typical Rex had finished barking his orders and thus was done with the conversation. _Why had she ever believed he might actually genuinely care about her?_

"Is everything alright," Amy asked.

"My uncle is about to marry Lucy Coe."

"Wow!" Amy said.

"Yeah, basically, I haven't quite figured out if I'm meant to support her or if I should try to convince her she is making a mistake."

"You mean because it's so sudden?" Amy asked.

"I suppose that could be a diplomatic approach if I decide to convince her she should wait. It is rather sudden. They have only known each other since July and they only got engaged two days ago."

"Tracy recommended a long engagement after Ned proposed to Jenny Eckert. He wasn't deterred. They got engaged sometime in March and married on May Day. Continuing the holiday theme, they were divorced before Labor Day."

Danielle raised an eyebrow. "All in the same year?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Amy said.


	52. Chapter 47: Some Kind of Peace of Mind

Ned Ashton felt a bit nostalgic as he pulled on a pair of jeans. He wanted to pretend that it was just the act of getting ready for a concert in hotel room that reminded him of a time when music was a much bigger piece of his life. It was more than that though. It was almost impossible to think about music without thinking of his second wife. He had gone to Luke's on a whim the night his divorce had been final, he played open mic, met Lois Cerullo, and everything developed from there.

 _September 2, 1993_

 _When he stepped into Luke's carrying a guitar, Ned Ashton wasn't sure what he was doing. It had been years since he had played with his college band. He had grown up, gone to law school, gotten married, and, as of about eight hours ago, gotten divorced._

 _"_ _If you're here for open mic, you sign up over there," a kid with longish black curls said as he gestured across the room._

 _Ned nodded and followed his direction. On a whim, he printed Eddie Maine on the sign in sheet. He had used the stage name during his college performance days with the Idle Rich. His grandfather had hated that!_

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _Here goes nothing, Ned thought as he stepped onto the stage at Luke's. He took a deep breath, struck an A chord and began to sing._

"As I walk this land of broken dreams

I have visions of many things

But happiness is just an illusion

Filled with sadness and confusion

What becomes of the broken hearted

Who had love that's now departed

I know I've got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

Maybe"

 _There was definitely confusion. Although maybe confusion was just a misnomer for denial. It was hard to believe his wife had truly loved him if she had been sleeping with Paul Hornsby before, during, and presumably after their marriage._

"The roots of love grow all around

But for me they come a tumblin' down

Every day heartaches grow a little stronger

I can't stand this pain much longer

I walk in shadows searching for light

Cold and alone, no comfort in sight

Hoping and praying for someone to care

Always moving and going nowhere

What becomes of the broken hearted

Who had love that's now departed

I know I've got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

Help me!"

 _To add insult to injury, apparently Jenny was pregnant. She assured Ned it wasn't his child. It couldn't be as apparently his purportedly virgin bride had actually already been knocked up when they said their vows._

"I'm searching though I don't succeed

But someone look, there's a growing need

All is lost, there's no place for beginning

All that's left is an unhappy ending

Now what becomes of the broken hearted

Who had love that's now departed

I know I've got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

I'll be searching everywhere

Just to find someone to care

I'll be looking everyday

I know I'm gonna find a way

Nothing's gonna stop me now

I'll find a way somehow

I'll be searching everywhere..."

 _Generous applause began as Ned struck the final chord. That surprised him a bit but he smiled in spite of his circumstances. He might have lost in love but apparently, he could still pull a crowd. That actually thrilled him more than he had imagined it might._

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _Ned nursed a coke and listened to someone butcher an old Johnny Rivers hit. He had an early morning conference call with Celia and Quentin so he needed to keep a clear head. He should probably call it a night. He just wasn't quite ready to go home._

 _While he was trying to motivate himself to depart the woman with the sparkling sapphire eyes who had introduced him before and who he wanted to believe had made eye contact while he sung came up and leaned over the bar beside him. "Virgin Mary, Claude," she said before she pulled herself up onto the neighboring bar stool._

 _"_ _You were amazing, and I don't use that word lightly," she said as she reached for the drink being slid across the bar._

 _"_ _Thank you," Ned said._

 _"_ _Lois Cerullo," she said as she extended her hand. "So, Eddie Maine, what's your story?"_

 _Ned hesitated. He would likely never see her again but there was something exotic and alluring about her. "Recently divorced, trying not to choke too much on the bitterness."_

 _Lois seemed a bit taken a back but she nibbled on the celery from her drink and seemed to regain some composure. "So, you're a straight shooter, there isn't anything wrong with that. Integrity is one of the most important things."_

 _"_ _Unfortunately, my ex-wife didn't share that core value," Ned said._

 _"_ _What did she lie about?" Lois asked._

 _"_ _How much time do you have? At this point it would definitely be faster to go through what she didn't lie about. Of course, that would require me to come up with something she didn't lie about and I'm kind of drawing a blank there." Ned said. He took a quick gulp of his Coke._

 _"_ _I'm sorry," Lois said warmly._

 _"_ _Well, it's in the past. I should call it a night, I have an early meeting," Ned said._

 _"_ _Don't be a stranger, Eddie! The crowd likes you," Lois said._

 _As he made his way back to the townhouse, he owned in ELQ's Candlewick Park he wondered if Lois had really been talking only about the crowd. In spite of his circumstances he hoped she hadn't been._

So much had started from there. Unfortunately, it all fell apart the day Lois got caught in the crossfire of Sonny's world and their daughter died. Music was a bittersweet reminder of the life and dreams he and Lois had once shared. That frequently made it too painful to pursue. But tonight the Outback was donating all of their cover to the Charles Street Foundation, the foundation his grandfather had founded almost sixteen years earlier to encourage collective works and responsibility through cooperative economics. One of the earliest foundation grants had funded the Children's Home his grandmother and Mary Mae Ward started in 1982 so it was kind of a command performance. There was some irony there but Ned supposed it was what it was.

XXXXXXXX

Lucy Coe turned in front of the full-length mirror in Rex's suite. Her husband to be had left her to get ready in his suite. Apparently, he was readying for the ceremony in his best man, DV Bordisso's Suite. As much as Rex seemed to have thought of everything, Lucy felt a bit unsettled. _It was all so fast._ When she had married Dr. Tony Jones, she had been desperate. Now it was almost like Rex had that same desperation. She wasn't sure what that meant. Of course, at forty-three, it wasn't like she was exactly a spring chicken herself. Perhaps Rex was right and there was no time to waste.

XXXXXXXX

"I know you have had a long week so; I think Ned would understand if we just decided to stay in tonight," Dr. Ryan Grabler suggested as he entered their master suite where his wife was sitting at her dressing table brushing her hair.

Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler swiveled around to face her husband. "My son is performing a benefit concert for my father's foundation. I don't see how I can miss that," she said.

Ryan did see how she could miss it but doubted he was any more likely to help her find that vision herself than he had any of the other times he had tried in the fifteen years he had known her so he just sat down in one of the arm chairs in their bedroom and waited for her to finish getting ready. They had originally met in June 1982 when they had shared a keynote address at the opening for the Chapparal County Children and Family Center spearheaded by Mary Mae Ward and Lila Quartermaine. She had been Pro-Counsel for Child Protective Services and he was the new child psychiatrist in town. He had been struck by her articulatory skills and her refined beauty-the total package. As he had gotten to know her, he had been struck by her sense of equity and humanity. In time she had even shared her greatest vulnerability- her fourteen-year-old son and her perceived maternal ineptitude.

Ned had turned seventeen the month before their March 1985 nuptials. He had come home from Ethan Allen Academy to attend their wedding but he had been aloof and distant. Because Ryan had known how much his new stepson's behavior had hurt his bride, he had wanted to be furious. At the same time, he had known that wasn't the answer. So, he had decided that his place was just to support his wife.

Twelve years later, their family had expanded with two more children. Together they had navigated the joys, challenges, and sleep deprivation of parenting. They were a great team and Ryan wouldn't change it for the world. Yet, in spite of that, he knew his wife still felt inept in her relationship with her elder son. Unfortunately, Ryan was afraid that she, undeservedly, always would. Even in that context, some things, like Ned's music, were exponentially harder. Ryan grasped that music was a healthy form of expression for his stepson. His lyrics were personal and heartfelt and he worked through pain and loss. As a psychiatrist he couldn't fault the process. But as a husband he saw the pain those lyrics evoked for his wife who still seemed to blame herself for all of her son's struggles.

The blaring sound of his pager pulled Ryan from his thoughts. That was odd since Dr. Davis was supposed to be on call. "I'm not sure why someone is paging me," he said as he got up and retrieved the cordless phone from the base on his wife's bedside table.

When he punched in the call back number, he was greeted with the voice of one of their PGY3 Psychiatry residents. "Hello, this is Dr. Harold Kim."

"Dr. Kim this is Dr. Grabler, how can I help you?" Ryan asked.

"I'm sorry to bother you but I'm taking call on PCGH's inpatient unit and Dr. Davis told me to staff this patient with you. He feels the patient should be directly admitted to your Shady Brook Service."

Ryan shook his head, took a deep breath, and released. It seemed like lately Dr. Davis wanted every patient admitted to Shady Brook where conveniently he did not have admitting privileges. Regardless, that wasn't Dr. Kim's fault. "Ok, why don't you tell me who the patient is and as you understand it why the patient isn't suitable for admission to PCGH's inpatient unit."

"The patient is Lexi Starnes. She is a 27-year-old female with the primary diagnosis of PTSD and prior suicide attempts. Earlier this afternoon she attempted suicide by laceration. Dr. Alan Quartermaine took her to the OR to repair her right femoral artery with good results. She received two units of PRBCs in the OR and was extubated in PACU. Dr. Quartermaine was going to admit to his SICU service overnight only because he needs frequent vascular checks and Q4H H&H. Due to her extremely high Columbia Suicide Score he was hoping that we could admit to the Psychiatric ICU and he said he would follow along and order the vascular studies to ensure the arterial repair was successful."

"That sounds extremely reasonable. Dr. Quartermaine can quote you better statistics but no matter how textbook his repair was, and it's Alan so I'm sure it was basically perfect she is still at extremely high risk to lose her leg. Hence admission to a medical facility with access to trauma surgery, vascular surgery, and interventional radiology is prudent. I would be very uncomfortable admitting directly to a standalone Psychiatric facility at this point. Did Dr. Davis explain why he felt that would benefit the patient?"

"Not really, he initially told me to just tell Dr. Quartermaine to admit to his service and then let him fight it out with his mother in law in the morning. I thought he was joking but he assured me he was quite serious and said if I didn't want to do that then I could see if you would do it as a Shady Brook direct admission. I did attempt to explain to him that Dr Reichman is on call at Shady Brook this weekend and he actually discharged Ms. Starnes twenty days ago but he didn't seem to want to hear that."

"Ok, so I do agree that this patient is likely going to need a long-term psychiatric admission, however, she is going to need to stay at PCGH until Dr. Quartermaine is comfortable that there aren't any post repair vascular issues for her. I'll call Alan and tell him we can comanage and have the patient physically placed in the Psychiatric ICU. Can you let the charge nurse know we need a bed in Psychiatric ICU and the patient will need one to one. I'll come in and see the patient tonight."

"Thank you, Dr. Grabler," Dr. Kim said.

"No problem, I'll be there in about twenty or thirty minutes," Ryan said. He terminated the call, returned the phone to the charging base and then crossed the room to his wife. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he squeezed his wife's shoulders.

"It sounds like someone else needs you in this moment more than I do. It is the casualty of being a physician's wife or perhaps I should say physician's spouse. Monica's call schedule is often even more insane than my brother's."

Ryan knew that what Tracy was saying was logical but he also sensed that this was a moment she needed him more than she felt comfortable admitting. He wanted to be there for her. "I can still be sorry it worked out this way," he said.

"I know what you're thinking Ryan, but really, I'll be ok. Why don't you go on to the hospital and I'll have my father pick me up. If you get done at a reasonable hour maybe you can stop by for Ned's second set. If not, since both of our children are sleeping elsewhere tonight, we will eventually get an opportunity for some uninterrupted alone time."

"Now that sounds enticing," Ryan said. Then after a quick kiss, he slipped out of their bedroom.

XXXXXXXX

At the bar in the Port Charles Grille, Alexis Davis removed the olive skewer from her martini and chewed thoughtfully. Dr. Jones had been supposed to meet her at seven o'clock. He was already five minutes late. She really hoped he wasn't about to drop a malpractice action in her lap after five o'clock on a Friday night. That left her to do nothing but stew over hypotheticals all weekend. Then there was the issue that she felt so out of her depth with malpractice law. There was so much medicine involved and truth be told her aptitudes just didn't lie in the sciences.

At ten minutes past seven, Dr. Jones finally made his tardy arrival. "I'm sorry, I got held up at the hospital," he said as he sat down on the adjacent bar stool.

For a reason she couldn't quite explain, Alexis doubted his explanation. She pushed that thought back into the back recesses of her mind. "So, you said you had a legal matter to discuss?" she asked.

"Yes, I originally went to Justus Ward. He handled my last divorce but I fear his allegiances lie elsewhere. I want full custody of my daughter."

 _Daughter? What daughter?_ _Alexis was quite certain that Dr. Jones had a son._ _Well at least he was suing rather than being sued that was a definite plus._ "I'm sorry, I don't follow," she said.

"I'm not sure if you're trying to be diplomatic or if you're really clueless, Ms. Davis, but Carly Roberts is pregnant with my daughter and I want full custody," Dr. Jones said.

Alexis hadn't been living under a rock. She knew that the Jones's marriage had ended after Dr. Jones got caught sleeping with PT tech, Carly Roberts. He had been served at the hospital for his divorce hearing so it was a bit hard to miss. She also had heard that Carly was pregnant although she had wondered if that had been a ruse or she had suffered a miscarriage because she hadn't exactly looked pregnant at the Quartermaine reception a week earlier. Of course, if she wasn't pregnant with Ned Ashton's baby, then that marital union had really come out of left field.

"Didn't Carly just marry Ned Ashton?" Alexis asked.

"Yes, which is why I would prefer not to use Justus Ward for this. There are far too many Ward and Quartermaine connections," Dr. Jones said.

"Ok, so I guess most of the rest of Port Charles just sort of presumed that Ned Ashton married Carly because he was the father of her baby. Are you sure this baby is even yours?" Alexis asked.

"Yes," Dr. Jones said flatly.

"Ok, so New York State laws provide for a marital presumption for paternity. So, as long as Carly is still married to Ned Ashton when she delivers then he will be legally presumed to be the child's father."

"But he isn't!"

"In that event, once the child is born, we can file a paternity petition in family court. Carly and Ned will have to respond to that. The problem is that, even if you can show you are the biological parent through DNA testing, the court may still consider that Ned is the legal father with all the rights as if he truly was the biological father."

"That is ridiculous!"

"New York law places a priority on children being raised within wedlock. Are you sure there isn't any possibility that Ned Ashton actually could be the biological father?" Alexis asked. _She couldn't see Ned Ashton marrying Carly without some irrefutable proof that he was the father of her unborn child._ _Of course, at least according to the wedding announcement she had received, Edward Lawrence Ashton had married Caroline Leigh Benson so perhaps Ned knew something Dr. Jones was missing, like Carly's legal name._

"I am the father!" Dr. Jones's voice thundered. Several people turned to look at them but Tony just glared at them. "So, are you going to help me or not?" he asked in a more moderated tone.

Alexis sighed. She longed to say no, but Stefan would want her to say yes. Stefan had made a big push for her to handle the legal matters of PCGH physicians even if they weren't really hospital matters. He claimed that it was beneficial to the hospital to have their physicians free to focus on their practice of medicine and not be distracted with mundane legal issues. He also argued that there were scenarios where these legal issues actually made the hospital itself more legally vulnerable than one might presume on first review. Alexis suspected there was some other motivation as well although Stefan had not yet seen fit to explain that and Alexis had not been brave enough to ask.

"I can't file the paternity petition until the baby is born. Do you know Carly's anticipated due date?"

"Dr. Meadows originally told us December 20th. I doubt that has changed but apparently Carly rescinded my access to her records. Can you do anything about that?"

Alexis shook her head and resisted the urge to scream. "Under the new patient privacy laws, I doubt that. Now if you are granted an order of filiation then you would have access to your child's health records but again, we can't even begin to pursue that until that child is born."

XXXXXXXX

Liz Webber yawned as she wiped a sponge across the counter at Kelly's Diner. Originally, she had been annoyed by her grandmother's insistence that she pick an extracurricular activity or get a job. Sarah had promptly signed up for Cheerleading and joined the Key Club. The latter would have definitely been the simplest path and, since Allison and Emily Quartermaine were both Key Club officers, perhaps the group actually accomplished things. But then she had discovered that Lucky's Aunt Ruby owned Kelly's Diner and figured that might be the perfect way to both get her grandmother off her back and have a chance with Lucky. Unfortunately, Lucky didn't spend much time at the diner and Liz had been stuck working the dinner rush the last two nights in row.

She had just finished serving three spaghetti specials when she heard the door jangle and saw Lucky standing there. _Perhaps her luck was about to change._

"Hey," Lucky said as he sauntered up to the counter.

"Hey yourself! Did your Aunt Ruby call in reinforcements?" she asked.

"Umm, actually I'm meeting friends," Lucky said.

Lucky looked nervous. Liz almost wondered if her sister had deigned to meet him. But their grandmother thought she was going out with some guy named Nikolas. Apparently, his father worked at the hospital with her grandmother so she approved of that relationship. "You look positively thrilled," she said.

"It's a bit of an overdue apology," Lucky said.

 _Hmm maybe he was meeting Sarah. Although that didn't really fit because Liz couldn't remember the last time Sarah had apologized to anyone. "_ When were you supposed to meet them? Maybe they decided they weren't so sorry after all," she said.

Lucky laughed. "You really cornered the market on optimism, didn't you? Hate to break it to you but I'm the one who needs to apologize," he said.

"What did you do?" Liz asked.

"It's kind of complicated. I'd rather not get into it now," Lucky said.

Liz had a feeling what he really meant was that he didn't want to get into it with her. That was basically her parents' approach to almost any topic as well. As she contemplated that the bell on the door jangled and she looked up to see Emily and Allison Quartermaine walk in. _Was Lucky apologizing to them? Why?_

"Have you been waiting long? I'm sorry if you have, the XC meet took longer than I expected and apparently our dad is still in some OR at PCGH so AJ dropped us off on his way to pick up Keesha," Emily said.

"I guess you need to run faster," Lucky joked.

"Or not, she won the race and broke the course record," Allison said.

"Wow! Good job, Em!" Lucky said as he gave her a hug.

Emily blushed. "Thanks, I like Friday afternoon races."

Liz picked up a few menus and made her way around the counter. "Do you guys need menus?" she asked.

"Oh, hi, Liz, I'm sorry I completely didn't see you there," Emily said.

"Hi, good job at your race. Is your team still undefeated? Sometimes Mr. Hawkins uses that as the bonus question and science is not exactly my thing so I can always use free points."

Emily laughed. "Yep, we're still undefeated, and we only have one more dual meet."

"Awesome! Just win your last meet and then I can just answer yes and channel some optimism," Liz said. She winked at Lucky and then smiled when he returned the gesture.


	53. Chapter 48: Know You're Not Alone

Keesha Ward stood on the curb on Charles Street while her boyfriend opened his car door for her. As she settled into AJ's BMW, she yawned and then quickly covered her mouth with an open hand.

"Tired?" AJ asked as he got in the car and then pulled his own door closed.

"Just a little, the five-year MSW at PCU is definitely not a joke. I was up late finishing up that problem set for my research methods class and then I never got a chance to nap," Keesha said.

"Not to mention that you're insistent on completing all the requirements for your teaching credential as well. Do you want to just do this another night?" AJ asked.

"No! Your cousin so rarely performs anymore and this benefits the Charles Street Foundation so, indirectly, Ward House and. Anyway, Aunt Harriet is back from testifying in front of congress so I can sleep in tomorrow."

AJ smiled. "Ok, onto The Outback it is," he said.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton fiddled with the straw in her sprite as she watched her husband finish his sound check. She had kind of forgotten she married a rock star. Although to be fair it seemed Ned himself had forgotten that most days.

 _October 10, 1997_

 _Carly Ashton internally debated if she looked like a beached whale in bikini and then debated if a bikini was even appropriate for swimming in the Quartermaine pool. The invitation from Lila had caught her by surprise but she had been sick of hanging out in the Quartermaine Penthouse in the Port Charles Hotel and she liked Lila. With that thought Carly reached for the coverup she had draped over the chair and exited the pool house._

 _When she reached the side patio by the pool, she saw Lila's empty chair parked pool side and her attendant Reginald was sitting on the edge of one of the poolside chaise lounges. She hadn't actually expected that Lila herself swam but she supposed there wasn't a reason she couldn't. She might be mobility impaired on land but it wasn't like she was paralyzed. "How is the water?" she asked._

 _"_ _It's nice, dear. Alan had a solar heater installed last spring so it looks like we might be able to extend the pool season to nine or ten months which is quite unheard of in upstate New York," Lila said._

 _That was impressive since Carly knew parts of Florida where people didn't count on a nine or ten month pool season. A bit hesitantly she stepped out of her slide on sandals on to the slate tile around the pool. "Definitely," she agreed as she started down the stone steps into the water._

 _"_ _It was kind of you to join me this afternoon, dear, I know you probably could have had much more exciting plans," Lila said_

 _Carly almost laughed at the absurdity of that idea. Exciting plans usually required you to have friends, which she really didn't. Well, except for maybe Simone but she was in Manhattan. Then there was Jason but Carly wasn't sure how to really characterize that. There was a time when she had wanted so much more than friendship from Jason. She had never gotten that but she knew in her heart she had also never really let go of that need. More recently she had started to accept that she once the baby was born, she would have to find a way to let go of that need. It was only fair to her child. It was only fair to Ned._

 _"_ _I think you sell yourself short, Mrs. Quartermaine, I always enjoy our time together. You were one of the first people who accepted me for me here in Port Charles."_

 _"_ _Was my nephew Jason the first?" Lila asked._

 _Carly felt her cheeks flush. "Yes," she admitted. "But don't get me wrong, I am very happy to be married to Ned now."_

 _"_ _You don't owe me an explanation, dear. After all, I think people come into our lives at different times for different reasons. Sometimes the greater plan is not for us to understand in the moment," Lila said._

 _Carly thought about that. For so long she hadn't trusted that there could be a greater plan. But perhaps that was the point. "I'll keep that in mind. Are you attending Ned's performance at the Outback tonight?" she asked._

 _"_ _Unfortunately, I will need to miss it. Two nights out in row is a bit much at my age. Between you and me, I would have preferred to skip the reception last night but Edward enjoys those kind of things," Lila said._

 _"_ _Did you know Dominique Baldwin well?" Carly asked._

 _"_ _She was Monica's sister in law. She was a very compassionately kind young woman with outstanding business acumen and spunk to boot. It was a winning combination and her death was a loss," Lila said._

 _Carly smiled. In her view Lila seemed to embody the triad as well and she realized that it was something worthy to aspire to. She had never imagined having that perspective a year ago. Heck she hadn't imagined having that perspective a few months ago but she was starting to accept that a path paved with bitterness and revenge was a dead end. Or maybe she was, she still had her moments of fury._

Ironically, their conversation had ended because Jason had shown up to say goodbye to his great aunt Lila before he went out of town indefinitely. Carly could read between the lines enough to know that Jason wasn't going on vacation. Perhaps Lila sensed that, and the urgency it invoked for Carly because she requested Reginald accompany her back into the house so she could prepare for afternoon tea.

When Carly reflected on her own goodbye with Jason, she realized that it was an example of how the heart defied logic. Moments before Jason had shown up, she had accepted she needed to let him go, but once he was right there in front of her she was struggling to fight the intense desperation to be in his arms, and later on the back of his motorcycle, riding off into the sunset. But sunset was hours away and she felt her baby, their baby, move inside her. So, she placed Jason's hand on her belly and let him feel his son. Then she stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

Jason had wrapped an arm around her, pulled her close, and whispered, "You know I will always do everything I can, for both of you,".

Carly could see that; even if Jason believed the best thing he could do, for his child was to just get out of the way.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine pressed two fingers against the dorsalis pedis and then the posterior tibial artery and then removed his hand. "Everything looks good with your repair Ms. Starnes. We'll keep a close eye on you because you are still at risk for some complications but I am optimistic we're going to be able to save your leg," he said.

His patient didn't acknowledge his words or him. She turned her head in the opposite direction. He took that as his cue to leave. "I'll check back on you in the morning then," he said. Just before he stepped out of the room he paused by the doorway and whispered to the nurse, "The pulses are great so let me know if that changes. I wrote for Q1H neurovascular checks overnight just because there is still a risk of compartment syndrome. I also wrote for frequent labs just to make sure we don't end up in a DIC scenario. Blood bank has two units of PRBCs on hold if we need more blood."

"Of course, Dr. Quartermaine," she said.

When he stepped out of the room, he saw that his brother in law had entered the unit. "Hi Ryan, it's certainly been a day. Thank you for taking this patient, it wasn't quite clear to me why Dr. Davis was uncomfortable with this."

"To be fair, it wasn't clear to me either but I was getting the story through our resident so I'll try to address that with him on Tuesday. While this is a particularly sad case it is also actually a great example of a patient who should go to the Psychiatric ICU and why we need a Psychiatric ICU," Ryan said.

"Thank you, and if there is something that I could have done or said that would have clarified for him that I am not trying to dump the patient on him please let me know so I can adapt. Anyway, I was able to perform an end to end anastomosis and I think we will have a good result. I basically put in all the orders for vitals, neurovascular checks, labs, IV antibiotics, and wound care. If there are any questions or concerns with any of those aspects of care, I can absolutely be first contact. I have inhouse trauma call tonight so I will be readily available unless I am scrubbed in a trauma. I need you to manage her psychiatric medications and address any safety/restraint issues."

"I can do that; eventually we will probably transfer for long term psychiatric treatment possibly via formal commitment but I understand you need to watch her closely for a few days and make sure the repair is viable."

"Most of these that fail do so within seventy-two hours. There was a recent Brigham study which recommended doing at least five days of IV antibiotics so we would probably be looking at close to a week if all goes well," Alan said.

"That is reasonable. I'll plan to reach out to Dr. Reichman at Shady Brook on Tuesday. He discharged the patient a few weeks ago and was her primary attending for over a year so I think he is pretty familiar with her."

"If there was any way to safely admit her to our Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Unit, I think she would really benefit from that but given their layout, I don't really see how that is possible."

"No although Shady Brook has PT and OT services available now so that is an option, and given her suicide risk, probably the safest option. On that note I'm going to go see her and then try to track down our resident so maybe I can catch Ned's second set," Ryan said.

"That's right, I'm sorry, you can tell Tracy I owe her for spoiling your plans."

"Actually, Tracy went on ahead with Edward," Ryan said.

"Oh, I see, so, you're suggesting I really owe her," Alan said. His brother in law was diplomatic enough to not comment further.

XXXXXXXX

Ned Ashton waited for the applause to die down a bit and then picked up the microphone. "Thank you, thank you very much. It's been awhile since I've been up here so I really appreciate the warm welcome. This next song is for my wife, Carly, as we prepare to start our family," he said.

Ned made eye contact with Carly, struck a C chord, and began to play.

 _Hold on, to me as we go_

 _As we roll down this unfamiliar road_

 _And although this wave is stringing us along_

 _Just know you're not alone_

 _'Cause I'm going to make this place your home_

 _Settle down, it'll all be clear_

 _Don't pay no mind to the demons_

 _They fill you with fear_

 _The trouble it might drag you down_

 _If you get lost, you can always be found_

 _Just know you're not alone_

 _'Cause I'm going to make this place your home_

 _Settle down, it'll all be clear_

 _Don't pay no mind to the demons_

 _They fill you with fear_

 _The trouble it might drag you down_

 _If you get lost, you can always be found_

 _Just know you're not alone_

 _'Cause I'm going to make this place your home_

XXXXXXXX

Lucky Spencer slurped his chocolate milk shake as if that would give him courage. His father had once told him that courage involved facing your fears like a man. Of course, his father had also told him that real men didn't apologize so he wasn't sure exactly how that really worked. "I'm not sure how to say this and apologies are not exactly a Spencer strength but I know I owe you both a huge one."

Emily shrugged her shoulders but didn't say anything. Allison opened her mouth as if she was going to speak but then glanced at her sister and just took a gulp of her water instead.

Lucky supposed he deserved that. Or maybe he did. It wasn't like he had come up with the plan to fake his mother's death. He had just gone along with it and he hadn't really had a choice.

"I accept your apology and I realize that you probably didn't have a choice about being involved in the latest Spencer scheme. Are you planning to also apologize to Faith and Nikolas?" Emily asked.

Nikolas was basically the last person Lucky was going to apologize to since he was the reason extreme measures were necessary in the first place. He hadn't even thought about Faith Ward, he probably should have. "Nikolas is a Cassadine," he said.

"Nikolas is a human being, and my friend. Lucky, you were basically my first Port Charles friend, if I don't count Alli, and I will always be grateful for that. I want us to be friends but I can't continually be caught in the middle of some Spencer-Cassadine Vendetta," Emily said.

"I agree. Also, I guess while you're figuring out how you become your own man you may want to consider the concept of collateral damage. There have already been too many innocent victims who were collateral damage in the Spencer-Casssadine War. If you and Nikolas wage that battle into and beyond the twenty first century, I am sure that number will only increase exponentially."

 _Well this is going well!_ "So, is this a lead in to get along with Nikolas or we can't be friends?" Lucky asked.

"Considering Nikolas is your brother, I think civility might be a good goal but I'm not exactly offering an ultimatum," Emily said.

"Yeah, basically what she said. I don't advocate you continue to hate and plot against Nikolas or that he hate and plot against you but I guess as long as we don't have to referee your battles it isn't really any of our business. For the record, you might also consider Sly someone else you owe an apology to. If you don't think that watching your family bury a casket you claimed was your mother brought back a lot of feelings for him you aren't a very in tune cousin."

Lucky realized Allison probably had a point, even if he didn't want to admit she was right. The truth was he had felt slimy when Sly showed up at the funeral much the same way he had felt slimy when Emily had poured her heart out to him when she believed his mother was dead. The problem was that his relationship with Sly was already far too complicated to face.

"Things are just complicated with Sly, you know that," Lucky said.

"I kind of got that impression, and that is also sad, especially since I remember when you were basically best friends," Allison said.

Lucky sensed there was more Allison could say but she didn't. He decided to take that as evidence that she did value their friendship. He did as well so maybe there was hope even if it meant he had to refrain from Cassadine insults in her presence. He could do that.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Jake Marshak stood uncomfortably in the banquet room at Chez Nous. Apparently his fiance's uncle, Rex was marrying Lucy Coe and their presence had been requested to celebrate the union. Or at least that was how Danielle had explained it but the more Jake got to know Danielle's uncle the more he had the impression that the man was more into demands than requests. That concerned him. In the moment though he really just wanted to get the evening over as he had a twenty-four-hour Saturday call which would begin in a little less than eleven hours.

XXXXXXXX

Robin Scorpio glanced around the lady's room lounge in Chez Nous while Lucy Coe's other bridal attendants helped her with the finishing touches for her hair and makeup. They were a bit of a motley group. She vaguely knew of Louise Mercer. Her mother in law had socialized with Lila Quartermaine and she had met her one of the times her own mother had arranged for a playdate with AJ. Apparently, Lucy's maid of honor, Danielle Ashley Stanton was Lucy's fiancé's niece and Katherine Bell's half-sister.

"Ok, I think that does it," Louise said as she finished spraying Lucy's updo with hair spray.

"Yes, you look great! Now, let's go before Uncle Rex calls me again to make sure you're not about to going to stand him up," Danielle said.

Robin noted that Lucy did not immediately protest she would never do that. When Rex Stanton had called the night before and explained he was Lucy Coe's fiancé Robin had no idea who he was. She also didn't understand why Lucy Coe had chosen her as a bridesmaid. Sure, they had the connection through their AIDS advocacy work but there were many people who Lucy was likely closer to, including Karen and Brenda neither of whom were even invited. But she hadn't had any better plans and Jason was no longer taking her calls for her own protection so she figured that it was a free plane ticket and an opportunity to just bump into Jason.

"I just wish Serena could be here," Lucy wailed.

Danielle reached over and patted Lucy's shoulder. "I know, but with such short notice and a nighttime wedding that just wasn't possible. I'm going to see her tomorrow so I can mention you have been thinking about her and maybe bring her a piece of cake."

Lucy looked surprised. "You're going to see her tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow is the Fall Carnival at Lilac Park Elementary School. Scott decided not to push the issue about attending because of his pending charges but wanted to make sure someone was there for Serena so Karen and I are going to go. Monica should be there as well but I guess she has STEMI call so she might have to go back to the hospital," Danielle explained.

"What is a stemmy?" Louise asked.

"It's the kind of heart attack where they need to go to the cath lab right away. So, if someone has that kind of heart attack, she would have to go take care of them," Danielle explained.

Robin wondered how Danielle knew that. She wondered if she was also an intern at the hospital with Karen.

"I don't understand why Scott would ask you instead of me!" Lucy wailed.

"Maybe because he thought you would be busy on your honeymoon with your rich and sexy hubby," Louise said.

"Did you do the background check through CPS yet? Anyone who wants to spend time with Serena has to be cleared by them," Danielle said.

"That's ridiculous! Serena wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for me!"

Robin supposed technically Lucy was correct, or at least partially correct. Dominique and Scott could have always picked a different surrogate. In fact, at the time of their embryo transfer, most of Port Charles thought they should have.


	54. Chapter 49: A New Day Dawns

October 11, 1997

It was still dark when Dr. Monica Quartermaine exited the Port Charles Fitness Club after dropping Allison and Kirk at swim practice and swimming a few miles worth of her own laps. As she got into her car to head to Port Charles General Hospital, she reflected on the busy Saturday that lay ahead. She had to make ICU and CCU rounds and then meet Karen to round on the rest of her Cardiology inpatient and consult service. Ideally Alan would be done with his rounds in time to pick up Allison and Kirk from practice by seven-thirty. Katelyn had junior swim team practice at ten; Kirk and her nephew Dylan's soccer team had a ten-thirty game at Community Commons; the Lilac Park Elementary Fall Carnival started at one; Katelyn's soccer team had a one-thirty game; and apparently her father in law had invited the entire Longsworth Family for dinner. To top it all off she was taking STEMI call so there was a distinct possibility that she would miss some, or all of the events to spend quality time in the catheterization lab.

When she pulled into the physician parking garage and parked, Monica was a little surprised to see Stefan Cassadine was also getting out of his vehicle. While some of her colleagues would argue that the real question was why an administrator was parking in the physician parking garage, Monica was a bit more curious about why the hospital CEO was arriving to the hospital a few minutes after five AM on a Saturday morning. "Good morning, Stefan," she called as she hit the button on her key fob to lock her Mercedes.

Stefan grunted and then tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a sneer. "Good morning Dr. Quartermaine, I see that you are getting an early start to the day."

"Not particularly, actually, two of my children have swim team practice at four AM so I drop them, swim some laps, and then head to the hospital. I rarely arrive after quarter past five," Monica said.

Stefan seemed to consider that but didn't speak as they waited for the elevator which would bring them to the atrium connector to the hospital.

"Do you usually arrive this early?" Monica asked as they stepped into the elevator. She was quite certain that he did not. After all her father in law was still complaining about his tardiness for the last hospital board meeting which had started at eight AM.

"I am departing for a conference in London this morning and need to retrieve a file from my office first," Stefan said.

Monica supposed that was possible. Stefan spent a lot of time traveling to conferences in foreign countries. "Well, have a good trip," she said as they both reached the hospital and turned in separate directions.

Stefan merely grunted.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Chris Ramsey forced a smile when Dr. Monica Quartermaine entered the CCU. "Good morning!" he said with forced cheeriness.

Dr. Quartermaine smiled back at him. "I hope your night wasn't too bad," she said.

"Let's just say I've had better nights which cost me a lot less," Chris said.

Dr. Quartermaine laughed discreetly. She had a nice laugh, almost melodic. "Aah the joys of internship. Now, since you're sitting in the CCU, should I presume it was one of my patients who gave you problems?" she asked.

"Actually, it was one of Dr. Devlin's patients. Although I think my resident is trying to convince him to transfer to your service so he can get better care," Chris said.

Monica raised an eyebrow. "While I completely believe in the second opinion process and think we all benefit from collaboration at times there is a way to handle that professionally. It is never appropriate for physicians to undermine other physicians, it would serve you well to remember that, Dr. Ramsey," she said.

 _Ooops!_ Chris thought. He realized that his efforts to undermine his resident needed to be a bit more subtle or he would be the one considered in the wrong. "Perhaps, I took Dr. Belden a bit too literally. He feels that the patient needs a pacemaker placed and feels that Dr. Devlin is not being suitably proactive. I'm sure he is explaining everything very diplomatically to Mr. Moran and his niece. He is really just being a patient advocate," he said.

Dr. Quartermaine looked like she wasn't quite sure she really believed that but then Dr. Belden came out of Mr. Moran's room and she went off to help him.

XXXXXXXX

Melissa McKee-Murdoch turned the Dopamine infusion up to 10 micrograms without much hope. She would hardly deny that Beth Maynard was a drama queen and she would adamantly agree that she didn't know as much as she thought she did or likely even half as much as the interns and residents she criticized on the regular but she had a point when she insisted that Mr. Moran needed a pacemaker at while giving report close to twelve hours ago. For some reason Dr. Devlin didn't really seem to care.

"Melissa, go ahead and push Atropine 0.5mg IV now and then let's get pacer pads on the patient," Dr. Monica Quartermaine said as she burst into the room with Dr. Belden trailing in her wake.

"I'm Dr. Quartermaine and I'm going to help Dr. Belden out since I am in house now. When your uncle is more stable then I will reach out to Dr. Devlin and bring him up to speed," Dr. Quartermaine said to Mr. Moran's niece.

"Actually, we want him moved to your service. You took care of my father in law when he had a heart attack a few years ago. My husband said I was crazy if I didn't demand the best for Uncle Angel," Hillary Weeks said.

"Ok, we're going to have you step into the waiting room so we can take care of him. I promise I will come talk to as soon as I can," Dr. Quartermaine said.

Hillary took another look at her uncle and then said, "Uncle Angel has always been there for me, always, so please, please, take care of him." Then she almost ran from the room.

Dr. Quartermaine crossed over to the bedside and removed her stethoscope from the pocket of her white coat and started to auscultate. She removed the stethoscope, glanced over at the monitors and frowned. "So, he really didn't respond much to the Atropine," she said.

"Well, the heart rate was over thirty briefly, so that is something, I guess," Melissa said as she opened a set of pacer pads.

"Let's go ahead and try transcutaneous pacing then. Please turn the Dopamine infusion up to 15mcg then give him one milligram of Versed IV once you have the pads on and let me know when you have done that," Dr. Quartermaine said.

Melissa finished placing the pads and hit the appropriate buttons on the IV pump. She reached into the bottom drawer of the embedded code cart to pull out Versed and drew that up. Dr. Quartermaine might be a bit direct and terse but she never yelled or belittled people which was far preferable to some of her colleagues, like Dr. Devlin or Dr. Dorman. "Ok, the Versed is in," Melissa said.

"Thanks, so turn the pacemaker on and switch into demand mode. Set the demand rate at 60 and we'll see if we can capture. Dr. Belden why don't you let the catheterization lab know that we're going to need to put a pacemaker in. If we can't get capture then we're going down with the emergency team now for a transvenous."

Dr. Quartermaine watched the screen intently. She smiled when she saw pacer spikes. "Great, we have capture, ok so turn the Dopamine up to twenty micrograms and I'll let the catheterization lab know that we're going to put in a pacemaker. As long as he's stable I can wait for the second team so I'm not tying up the emergency team unless we have a six AM STEMI but I would like to get this done before eight when I have STEMI call so I'm not trying to deal with two patients at once."

Melissa nodded. She could understand that, especially since she was pretty sure Dr. Devlin had second STEMI call and would be way less than willing to actually come in and try to save myocardium. _Some people just shouldn't be physicians, or nurses!_

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett glanced over at the clock as she tried to let go of the images of her nightmares. It wasn't even six AM! Of course, it was apparently almost eight in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil the latest stop on Miguel's South American tour. With that thought she reached for her cell phone.

"Hola, Buenos Dias," Miguel answered on the second ring but his voice sounded funny as if she was waking him up.

"Miguel, hey," Brenda said.

"Brenda! So, you're in luck, because if I fly directly back to NY after my final concert Monday night then I should get into JFK on Wednesday morning and I could come up Thursday to go to the gala with you on Friday night."

"You would do that?" Brenda asked. She hadn't been expecting that and had been working on how she convinced Jax to go with her and not be a completely insensitive jerk.

"For you? Of course!"

"You're the best, really."

"Isn't it still really early in Port Charles?" Miguel asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, not at all, I was actually about to go get some breakfast. But you're usually not up voluntarily before eight and definitely not before six. Is everything ok?" Miguel asked.

Brenda hesitated. A part of her wanted to tell him the truth that everything couldn't be further from ok but she had already dumped so much on him over the years. Plus, if he probed more deeply, she wasn't about to admit that the nightmare which woke her up before six AM had been a traumatic recreation of the night that his former fiancé Lily Rivera Corinthos had died in a car bombing. So perhaps a true statement which was pretty far from the whole truth was the way to go. After a deep sigh she said,"Everything is fine. I guess Robin is unexpectedly back in town and she wanted to get breakfast at Kelly's this morning. You know it takes me awhile to get ready."

"Tell Robin, I say hello. She must be so busy with medical school," Miguel said.

"I guess. I actually didn't get a chance to talk to her yesterday. She left a message with Lila while I was out picking up everyone from school. I left a message on Mac's machine that I could make it and would meet her. On that note, I guess I should go get ready so I can do that," Brenda said. She was actually meeting Robin at ten but she had reached a point where she could face a new day.

"Ok, have fun with Robin and I guess I'll see you on Thursday. I think I'm going to see if Ruby has any rooms because Ned offered but it seems unfair for me to accept since he and Carly are newlyweds."

"She probably does. After you moved out last spring and Carly moved out this spring, I don't think she has any long-term tenants so she is probably doing a lot of weekly rentals. If you want, I can check on that for you," Brenda offered.

"That would be great, Bren, thanks!"

"No problem, ok now go eat breakfast."

"You too!" Miguel admonished.

"Bye," Brenda said. However, as she closed her cell phone she wondered if his comment was as lighthearted as she wanted to believe.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine checked patients off on his list as he rounded. Some of his colleagues crossed patient names off their list as they went but that had always held a bit of an ominous vibe for him. Hence the check off system.

"Are we done?" Dr. Arthur Cerami, one of the PGY2 surgery residents, asked hopefully.

Surgery Chief Dr. Connie Pogue rolled her eyes but didn't speak.

"I still need to round on some pediatrics patients and check on that patient we did the femoral artery repair on one more time but perhaps you and Dr. Scanlon could start working on discharges while Dr. Pogue and I finish up."

"Start with the patients on 4 North," Dr. Pogue called as Dr. Cerami and Dr. Scanlon departed.

"Onward to the East Wing?" Dr. Quartermaine asked.

"Sure, and then we can head over to the Psychiatric ICU on 2 South. I guess you managed to get that worked out after I left. How did you get Dr. Davis to change his mind? Teach me your ways!" Dr. Pogue said as they entered the stairwell.

"Actually, Dr. Davis didn't take the patient; I guess he wasn't comfortable for some reason. I attempted to call him through the operator to speak directly after his resident, Dr. Kim, told me they couldn't take the patient but I think there was some problem with his cellular service and we were unable to connect. I was prepared to admit to SICU and have them assign it as a one to one with direct supervision around the clock but that was going to be a staffing nightmare so I wasn't feeling great about it and I'm sure that SICU Nurse Manager, Mary Briggs was hating me," Alan said.

"Ok, so how did the patient end up in the Psychiatric ICU?"

"Dr. Grabler did feel comfortable with admitting to his service so it worked out."

"So, there are advantages to practicing at a hospital inundated with your family. I guess I'll have to keep that in mind after fellowship. Unfortunately, the Pogues aren't as plentiful in medicine as the Quartermaines."

"We would love to have you return to PCGH after your pediatric surgery fellowship in Toronto. Who knows we might have even passed universal health care by the time you return," Alan said.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Gail Baldwin pushed the door open to the Psychiatric ICU and stepped inside. She didn't usually start rounding at six-thirty AM but she wanted to finish in time to attend the Lilac Park Elementary Fall Carnival with Serena. If she had been able to adjust the call schedule on short notice she would have done so but she had felt badly about asking Ryan as he had young children in the same school; Dr. Davis had never agreed to a call switch that wasn't his idea in the more than fifteen years he had been part of the PCGH call group; and Dr. Locke would never agree to a weekend call; so she had been stuck.

"Good morning," Dr. Ryan Grabler said brightly when she stopped at the nurse's station of the unit.

"Good morning; I see you decided to round early as well," Gail said.

"Don't take this the wrong way but I have other places to be. Shannon has gymnastics pre-team tryouts at nine so I need to be available to console her if she doesn't make it or console my wife if she does. Then Dylan has a soccer game at 10:30."

"Is Shannon taking gymnastics at the old Webber Gym on the Waterfront?" Gail asked.

"Yes, Riverfront Gymnastics. Shannon considers it her personal gym because Edward came home and told her he bought it for her," Ryan said.

"And to keep Damian Smith from buying it and putting an incinerator there," Gail added.

Ryan laughed. "Well, that too, but when you're three years old, begging your mom to do gymnastics, and well aware that you have Grandpa wrapped around your little finger you only focus on that which is relevant to you personally," he said.

"Grandchildren really are the best! Serena definitely keeps Lee and I young. Karen too of course, we just don't see as much of her, you know the life of an intern."

"Don't remind me," Ryan said.

"Do you want to tell me about Lexi Starnes? I actually took care of her after her initial suicide attempt in January 1996. She was originally treated at Mercy Hospital but was then transferred here for admission to our Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. She was actively suicidal the whole time she was here and even with one:one nursing she had several aborted attempts. I didn't think I had a choice but to petition for long term commitment," Gail said.

"She was in Shady Brook for about twenty months. Dr. Reichman had just gotten her discharged into a Mental Health Group Home with twenty-four-hour attendants in Sutton. Apparently, she somehow got her hands on a knife and lacerated her femoral artery. She wouldn't or couldn't give me much history last night but my plan would be to reach out to Dr. Reichman on Tuesday and see if he will take her back whenever Alan is comfortable with releasing her."

"It is so sad. She is so young and from what I understand she was such a sweet girl before the rape."

"Yes, we discussed her case several times in Shady Brook's Complex Cases Conference. Dr. Reichman feels that the depression is reactive due to the trauma and PTSD from the rape. Initially he focused a lot on trying to treat the PTSD but after no success with that then he thought maybe that was because of the depression so he tried pretty much every medicine and medication combination but couldn't get the depression under control."

"It sounds like a vicious cycle," Gail said.

"It pretty much has been. There was some consideration of Electroconvulsive Therapy before but her brother was appointed her guardian and he opposed that. That probably needs to be reconsidered so I will see if Dr. Reichman feels it would be better for him to bring it up with the brother or if I should while she is on our service."

"Is Shady Brook doing ECT now?"

"No, Dr. Reichman would have transferred to our inpatient service for ECT if the brother had agreed. Although Rose Lawn is actually exploring starting an on-site ECT Program."

"Really?" Gail asked.

"Yes, it was discussed at our quarterly medical staff meeting last month. I mainly admit adolescents at Rose Lawn so I wasn't aware they were considering this and I think it will be almost impossible for them to implement it given the current Rose Lawn Campus. I suggested to Dr. Hannen that the other option would be for her to get Inpatient Psychiatry and ECT privileges at PCGH," Ryan said.

"Do you think she might consider that? We really need another attending especially with expanding the residency program. I fear that it is unrealistic to expect Kevin to be able to return to practice and neither Dr. Locke nor Dr. Davis enjoy working with the residents."

"She actually might. She says she misses teaching. She was assistant program director at Northwestern for about five years."

"That is encouraging. I think I will reach out to her next week," Gail said.

"Ah, it is two of my favorite psychiatrists. Good morning to you," Dr. Alan Quartermaine said as he joined them with one of his residents.

Gail smiled at her son in law. He was so diplomatic since their department currently consisted of four psychiatrists and he wasn't a fan of Dr. Davis and didn't really know Dr. Locke. "Good morning, Alan," she said.

Ryan nodded as a form of a greeting. "The nurses tell me that everything went alright overnight with our mutual patient," he said.

"Yes, although we may need to transfuse another unit of packed cells. We're going to start iron and repeat labs around noon," Alan said.

"You mentioned your concern for DIC last night. Do you think that is the issue?" Ryan asked.

"I think it is more likely that our initial blood loss was underestimated, but we will be checking coags and fibrinogen along with the CBC so we'll see. We definitely need another day in the ICU. We're going to go in and do an exam and I'll let you know if my thoughts change after that," Alan said.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine exited the stairwell on 6 North and glanced at her watch. On the positive side, Angel Moran had a dual chambered pacemaker in place and was stable in the CCU. On the potentially problematic side it was already seven o'clock and although she had managed to round on all of the CCU and ICU patients while waiting for the back up team to arrive she still needed to round on a few cardiology floor patients and six stepdown patients. If Alan wasn't able to pick up their children from swim practice, she would have to figure out Plan C quickly.

As she was contemplating possible Plan Cs, she spotted Karen at one of the computers in the center work area and approached. "Good morning, Karen. Did Dr. Belden let you know that I was going to be held up for a bit putting in a pacemaker?"

"Yes, he did. It's fine, I've seen everyone and at least started all of the notes," Karen said.

"Great, could you grab the charts for this floor while I page Alan. If he isn't having a better morning than I am and able to pick up the kids from swim practice I will need to identify my Plan C quickly," Monica said as she called into the paging system and typed a call back number.

"Sure, no problem," Karen said.

 _Well that was fast, almost too fast_ , Monica thought as she reached for the phone. "Stepdown, this is Dr. Quartermaine," she said.

"Hello, Dr. Quartermaine, this is also Dr. Quartermaine," Alan said.

"Are you almost done rounding? I kind of walked into a patient of Dr. Devlin's who urgently needed a pacemaker placed so I just finished that but I still need to round on all non ICU or CCU patients with Karen and there is no way I am going to accomplish that in the next fifteen to twenty minutes so I can get Allison and Kirk from practice," Monica said.

"I just finished up with rounds and I am rerunning the list with Dr. Pogue. I should be able to leave here within ten minutes so I can get them. Do you have an idea of when you might be done?" Alan asked.

"I still have eight more patients to see so I probably need around two hours. Maybe I'll be home a little after nine, presuming no one has a STEMI of course."

"Right, I forgot you had STEMI call today," Alan said.

"Yeah, and I know the timing is not good with all of the various activities the kids have going on today plus your father apparently invited the entire Longworth Family for dinner."

"So, I guess today isn't the day that we have at least some say in who we entertain in our home," Alan said.

"Apparently not, don't get me wrong; I like the Longworths but I'm quite certain that by the time dinner rolls around I and the rest of our family will really need a quiet dinner at home without guests."

"Message received, unfortunately, it probably a bit late to uninvite them," Alan said.

"Alan, it is definitely too late to uninvite them. I should go, I don't want to keep Karen waiting any longer. Thank you for collecting the kids from swim team. Hopefully I will see you at home in a few hours," Monica said.

"Ok, I hope your morning gets better," Alan definitely.

"Thanks, the feeling is mutual," Monica said before she laid down the receiver and turned to face Karen. "Why don't we start with Ms. Hanson?" she asked.


	55. Questions, and More Questions

I really appreciate all of the reviews and questions. This story is still a bit of a work in progress so your thoughts (and answering some of your questions) are really helping me flesh it out more. So, here is the latest Q&A installment; I will try to get Chapter 50 posted tomorrow.

 **1.)What is Dr. Jones up to?**

So much of Dr. Tony Jones's story is true to canon (although I did alter some dates to clean up continuity errors/account for SORAS—ie. BJ and Maxie Jones are both born in October 1986. BJ actually was onscreen and Maxie was born in 1990 but was SORAS'd almost overnight from newborn to three and was around the same age as BJ the spring BJ died.). He has had a lot of loss in his life (both of his parents; his first wife was killed a hit/run driver; he believed his brother was dead for over a year; and then BJ died in 1994) and his marriages after Tania (Lucy Coe from October 1987-December 1988 then Bobbie Spencer from October 1989-May 1997) did not end well. He and Lucy were volatile at the end but in some ways I think the issues with Bobbie were more painful because they had been married longer, he once really loved her, and perhaps he had some guilt about sleeping with a woman young enough to be his daughter (and who apparently was his ex-wife's daughter although neither Tony or Bobbie know that). It probably also didn't help that it played out at PCGH since Tony was an attending neurosurgeon, Bobbie was an OR nurse, and Carly was a PT assistant (until she was fired for having sex with Tony at the hospital while on the clock). Unfortunately, this has all set up a perfect storm and the spiraling you're seeing in Chapter 39 is really just the beginning of his descent. Tony is not the father of Carly's baby but I think he does somewhat genuinely believe that he is and I do think some of his motivation really is to do what is right for his child.

 **2.)Who is Detective Allison Jordan? Is she an OC?**

Detective Allison (West) Jordan is an original character. I personally am fine with original characters as long as they are introduced and allowed to fit into the canvas without taking over. Using Allison Jordan in this role so soon after her introduction I think does make me potentially vulnerable to violate my own unwritten rule but, I sort of felt that she fit best for this. [I have used the character in stuff written set in 2008-2013 so she is a pretty developed character in my mind.]

So, Allison Jordan grew up in a Boston suburb as Allison West. She graduated from HS a year early in June 1988 and started at BU (studying criminal justice and forensics in Fall 1988). In summer 1990 she applied to the Boston Police Academy and took a semester off of college to complete the Academy and she was a rookie cop in January 1991. She eventually finished up her BS degree in Forensics in May 1994 and married IAB officer and law student Malcolm "Mac" Jordan 6-4-94. They actually met on the job but they never officially dated until he left her precinct summer 1992 to work IAB while going to law school. He finished law school in May 1995, passed the bar, and took a job with the Boston DA's office. He was shot on the courthouse steps 2-28-97. Allison was pregnant with their daughter then and transferred to the PCPD after his death to be closer to his parents—Tom & Marge Jordan. Allison started at the PCPD in March 1997 and was paired with Alejandro Garcia as his former partner Marcus Taggert was suspended. Although they got off on the wrong foot initially things improved before the end of their first day together (as illustrated in the flashback in Chapter 12). Mackenzie Jordan was born 7-26-97 and Allison returned from maternity leave on -9-29-97.

 **3.)Can any of Ned's wives be accepted into the Quartermaine Family? Will any of them feel that they are?**

So, the Quartermaines would insist that they gave Jenny every chance and that they really loved Lois. I actually think there are some canon scenes which they could use to bolster both points and I have molded most of them in much kinder, less judgmental, and more emotionally healthy than is probably true to canon so perhaps what they say is true. So, then what was the problem?

I think that Jenny Eckert really just had issues and never loved Ned. She was written inconsistently it seems and oscillated back and forth between being sweet and truly evil—I reconciled that by taking the stance that the sweet was more an act and means to an end.

I think Lois is kind with a strong sense of integrity and she did love Ned. But pretty much all of Lois's marriage to Ned was during a very hard part of her life. Her father was dying of Pancreatic Cancer and then did die while she pregnant with Brooke. She had a rough pregnancy with Brooke. Around her Sonny was going through all of his drama (and this works with a slightly altered history that Sonny was even more of Cerullo sibling than in true show canon, additionally Carmine Cerullo was involved in the Camarese organization at least peripherally so I think that Lois isn't as apt to reject Sonny because of his La Costa Nostra ties), Monica was dealing with her own health issues, Monica brought Paige Bowen and her daughter Emily into the family and then Paige died, Jason's parents died and Jason sustained significant TBI. I think it was just a very hard time for Lois and the Qs and Lois viewed a lot of things through the lens of that.

Now Ned has a third wife and the Qs are actually quite desperate for her to feel like she is part of the family. They're looking back on everything with Lois because they want to do better/different. It's actually an interesting dynamic because although Carly feels so insecure and wants to be accepted, she doesn't realize that they actually are almost as desperate for her to accept them. I also think that in many ways Ned is trying to shield Carly from his family much more than he did for Jenny or Lois. He has given Carly a few outs she hasn't taken. This may all implode because I could see Carly considering their acceptance ingenuine and of course there is the question of what happens when the truth comes out that Ned isn't the biological father? What then? Will the Qs be grateful that Carly tried to keep the baby in the family or will they resent her lies? I'm actually figuring some of this out as I write but I think these are the questions that should be out there.

 **4.)So, what is up with Sonny?**

When I write Sonny, I generally tend to channel his Stone era persona and let him grow from there. I realize that the GH writers keep regressing him but also considering him somewhat immortal or at least above owning any of his actions. I just can't do it.

In this the Sonny and Karen story is a bit different. Yes, she did strip in his club but she was in college (and almost 21 which actually helps reconcile some timing issues GH introduced by having her finish high school in 1993 and then by an intern at PCGH in 1997—it really doesn't work that way) not high school. Yes, there were drugs involved but Sonny didn't give them to her and paid for rehab after he realized what she was doing. They never had a sexual relationship and as she says in Chapter 42 at one time a strip club was her safe haven. She gets that is messed up but her life was messed up and ultimately, she came out of it. In this Sonny voluntarily closed the Paradise Lounge in January 1993 because the more he learned the stories behind women in his club he just couldn't anymore. This had some implications for him in terms of his relationships in the organization but he did it anyway either because his convictions were strong or because it was an early manic moment with perceived invulnerability or maybe some of both.

In 1997 Sonny resumed a relationship with Brenda Barrett around Valentine's Day. She had been pretty platonically dating AJ Quartermaine after Lily's death during the period where she and Sonny both felt too guilty to go there. She and AJ continued to be friends and parted very amicably. Sonny and Brenda got engaged late that spring. Karen returned to PC for internship and hung out with Brenda, they never fought over Jagger so they were actually friends. Sonny bumped into Karen at the 1997 Nurse's Ball and told her how proud he was of her. They shared a hug (and her father held his temper—he hates her connection to Sonny but also hates that if he had been in her life she would have never needed that connection. Although it is hard for him to acknowledge on some level he is grateful to Sonny for how he did help her). On 8-21-97 Sonny, Brenda, Karen, Gina (who is a medical student at Stanford), and Jagger (who is a Vice Cop in San Franciso but is not having an affair with his partner and will likely transfer back to PCPD once he wraps a huge case) celebrated what would have been Stone Cates's 21st Birthday. Brenda and Sonny were supposed to marry 8-23-97 but Sonny went to Brenda a few hours before the rehearsal dinner and told her it wasn't safe. He said his goodbyes to Lois and Brooke and then took off for Puerto Rico since he had learned that Hernando Rivera was actually alive. Jason is in charge while Sonny is out of town and is at least on paper running the organization. Behind the scenes Sonny is also looking for evidence that could help acquit Kaylee Reynolds of Dr. Pierce Dorman's murder. Sonny makes an appearance in Brooklyn in a few more chapters and he will be back in Port Charles before the end of 1997 because he will need to help Jason out with the Morenos.

 **5.)Hornsby Who's Who**

-Paul Hornsby Born 3-15-55. He graduated BU Law School in May 1981. At that time, he had a wife (Caitlin Longsworth Hornsby) and a 4 month old daughter. His wife and daughter had fled home to his inlaws so he just stayed in Boston (he didn't admit he was having trouble passing the NY Bar). In 1989 he came to Port Charles and was briefly an associate in Murdoch, Drake, & Lansing. In 1991, partly as a favor to Stuart Longsworth, Edward Quartermaine convinced the ELQ Board to hire Paul as pro-counsel. In spite of this favor, Paul was unfaithful and divorced Caitlin in early 1992. After Edward Quartermaine caught him bribing a zoning official in March 1993, he got fired but he stuck around PC theoretically to be close to his daughter (more realistically because he was having an affair with Jenny Eckert Ashton). When Jenny's husband Ned caught them together Jenny divorced Ned and they moved to GA along with Jenny's nephew Sly.

-Caitlin Longsworth Hornsby (Paul's 1st Wife) Born 1-1-61. Grew up in Port Charles, graduated from Chapparal Country Day School in 1979. She went to Boston University for college and met 2nd year law student Paul Hornsby. She ended up getting pregnant her freshman spring so Paul married her and their daughter Susannah Claire Hornsby was born January 1981. She really struggled as a young mom and ended up leaving Paul, dropping out of college and coming home to her parents when Suzy was a few months old. Paul graduated from BU Law in May 1981 but had already planned to take a job in Boston (and then failed the NY State Bar x 2). Caitlin floundered and was in and out of Rose Lawn while Audrey raised Suzy. Eventually Paul reunited with his wife and daughter in 1989 and was briefly an associate in Murdoch, Drake, & Lansing. In 1991, partly as a favor to Caitlin's father, Stuart Longsworth, Edward Quartermaine convinced the ELQ Board to hire Paul as pro-counsel. In spite of this Caitlin and Paul still divorced in early 1992. After the divorce Suzy initially stayed with Audrey & Stuart and Caitlin kind of flitted about. When the Hornsby's left town in 1993, Paul insisted Suzy go with the rest of the clan. Suzy and Jenny didn't get along so she ended up returning to Port Charles in Fall 1995 to start her freshman year at Chapparal Country Day School. Suzy initially moved in with her maternal grandparents but Caitlin returned there after her late 1995 Rose Lawn release and is starting to actually parent her daughter.

-Susannah Claire Hornsby-Daughter of Paul & Caitlin. She was born January 1981 and is currently a junior at Chapparal Country Day School

-Jennifer Eckert Hornsby (Paul's 2nd Wife) Born April 1972. She met Ned Ashton over the Christmas Holiday in 1991 and they were married by 5-1-93. Unfortunately, Jenny had also been seeing Paul Hornsby since January 1992 (when he was technically still married to Caitlin) and continued to see him after marrying Ned. Ned caught Jenny and Paul in bed together in August 1993. Instead of apologizing, Jenny demanded a divorce, mucho alimony, and revealed that she was pregnant but it couldn't possibly be Ned's. Ned's head swum but he didn't contest the divorce and since Jenny committed adultery it is granted in September 1993. Jenny and Paul immediately left for GA with her nephew Sly and Paul's daughter, Suzy. Jenny delivered daughter Ashton Hornsby in November 1993.

-Ashton Hornsby-Alleged daughter of Paul & Jenny. Jenny had an affair with Paul throughout her marriage to Ned so it certainly could be his baby (and two paternity tests support that although paternity tests can be altered) but what is up with her name?

 **6.)What (or maybe who) is next for Katherine?**

I'm not sure exactly who Katherine will be with. I do think at some point she will return to Stefan but perhaps that will end up just being part of a revenge plot. She will definitely have a tryst with Nikolas but I'm not sure when exactly that will happen. I'm also a little intrigued by a possible Jax & Katherine pairing. They schemed in the past and now fear that their past schemes could be revealed, could bring them closer.

 **7.)What is Abby Mitchell up to? Is she being a victim advocate or is she being bought?**

Another good question…I'm not really sure at this point where her motivations lie. I think either option could be plausible but I guess I really haven't written this character enough. [She apparently was PC DA in some period in between Michael Schultz and Ric Lansing but I truly don't remember the character—during that time period anything I've seen was tried by Dara Jensen who was an ADA. In other stuff I've written I had her as the DA between 1996 and 2000. She was an ADA who ran against Shultz and defeated him but then shouldered all the blame when Ric Lansing created the Alcazar Mistrial. Ironically Ric Lansing ended up being the next DA.]

 **8.)Is Jax being written true to character?**

I think so but I know that Jax fans may disagree. Jax has really done some lame things over the years and been incredibly cruel to various people he is supposed to care about or women he is supposed to love. I haven't watched GH in years (and during the period I did watch I was somewhat sporadic and would supplement with clips which may skew my perceptions) but at least during the time period this story was set I think Jax was a quite selfish and arrogant jerk. He tried to pass himself off as Brenda's white knight but that really never rang true and I think that anyone who ever loved her at all and knew her history would have never let her get all the way down the aisle in a church full of her friends start into her vows and then humiliate her. That whole scene was callous and cruel independent of anything else.

 **9.)Who is Faith Ward?**

Faith Ward is the youngest child of the late Bradley Ward Jr. and Isabella Ward. She is the younger sister of Isaiah Ward and Justus Ward and the Granddaughter of the Late Rev. Bradley Ward Sr. and Mary Mae Ward. She was born May 9, 1982 in Port Charles because her family moved there after her grandfather's death when the KKK firebombed his church in January 1981. She grew up with Allison and Emily Quartermaine, Lucky Spencer, and Sly Eckert. She is currently a sophomore at Port Charles High School and on the Varsity Tennis Team with Allison Quartermaine.

10.)To the person who asked if Tracy still married Gino Solieto, no she did not. She married Lord Lawrence Ashton in September 1966 (and divorced him in April 1968 due to his infidelity). She married Dr. Ryan Graebler in 1985 and they are still married and raising their children eleven-year-old Dylan and six year old Shannon Lila.

 **11.)Why is Dr. Winters also Dr. Judgmental?**

Dr. Louise Elaine "Lainey" Winters was introduced to the GH canvas ~2005 as the psychiatrist who initially worked with Carly Corinthos. I decided to introduce her earlier as a psychiatry resident and develop her character a little more. I didn't really know much about her but I believe that she was supposed to have older half-siblings who basically were uninterested in her (and also turned their back on their collective father). Her father was apparently supposed to have been an attorney before he succumbed to dementia and was supposed to be in some nursing home in Port Charles (where Cody Paul killed him in a misguided mercy killing). That said, I do agree that Lainey's interaction with Dr. Grabler is not really appropriate especially since he is an attending and she is a PGY2 resident. I think that fits with how the character was (at least in the clips I saw) in 2005 and 2006 though.

 **12.)Alden Family Connections?**

Trisha Alden Mackenzie (daughter of Clay & Gwyneth Alden) and Cooper Alden (son of Tyler and Cynthia Alden) are the two surviving heirs of the Alden Family from Corinth, PA. In Fall 1995 Gwyneth Alden went on a murder spree and committed suicide right before she was apprehended by the Corinth PD. Trisha largely ceded family control to her cousin and he liquidated most family assets and founded the Alden Family Hedge Fund with those proceeds in early 1996. As Cooper's wife, Steffi Brewster Alden is Trisha Alden Mackenzie's cousin by marriage.

Trisha's reservations about Steffi's modeling stem from her cousin's concerns about Steffi returning to modeling as he feels that was a significant factor in her eating disorder. She may also feel that as Steffi has a 19 month old daughter and a four year old stepson at home that they should be her priority although that would be a bit hypocritical since Trisha and her husband have a five year old (Christopher Mackenzie)at home and Trisha was working as a professor at Alden University when he was a baby and then was in Europe during her amnesia period. She didn't return to her husband and son until November 1995 when Christopher was three years old.

 **13.)Alexandria Quartermaine et. al?**

I'm guessing you've read other stuff I've written if you're asking but, yes, I kind of twisted the whole Alexandria Quartermaine saga both because I wasn't around then and had not much clue what actually happened and because it worked better with some plotlines I wanted to use. So…

*Alexandria Quartermaine was the eldest child of Abbott & Abbra Quartermaine. Abbott was Edward's brother. He was an attorney who later became a federal judge. He helped Lila get a court granted divorce from her abusive husband Crane Tolliver so she could marry his younger brother so the brothers are close.

*Alexandria Quartermaine attended Stanford University and graduated in May 1980 with a degree in engineering. She started working for ELQ Enterprises in June 1980

*On July 31, 1981, Alexandria Quartermaine was killed in diamond mining accident (at the Q mine in Nevada) which was part of a revenge plot of Stavros Cassadine against Luke Spencer (who struck out at them originally to avenge Stavros's rape of Laura which was less of a rape than what Luke did). Tony Cassadine (who was sort of Alexandria's boyfriend) attempted to rescue/warn Alexandria at the last minute and was presumed dead in the blast although his body was never recovered.

*Abbott and Abbra Quartermaine conceived twins in their grief. Alexander and Andrea Quartermaine were born at 30 weeks but were healthy. Unfortunately, their mother suffered a postpartum stroke. Edward & Lila fly immediately to be there for his brother and are there when she is actually declared brain dead on March 20, 1982.

 **14.)Are Lucky and Liz destined to grow up and become a super couple?**

I'm not sure. I have written stuff with Lucky and Liz together but not really thriving so maybe that should tell me something. I think that as at least one reviewer has suggested part of the problem is that Lucky has never really grown up or taken much responsibility. I think some of that is a Spencer thing. Luke is not exactly the adult in the room almost ever and he usually has a lot of excuses or likes to rewrite history so that he can somehow pretend he was the one wronged. I guess I don't know what the future holds. I probably will plan to pair Lucky and Liz some time around Summer 1998 and will likely do the whole stalking and blackmail storyline with Tom Baker albeit with a few twists. I'm open to other ideas for Liz pairings so feel free to suggest in a review. I probably will not proceed with Liason mainly because I am leaning towards a more healthy variation on Jarly.


	56. Chapter 50: Breakfast at Kelly's

Liz Webber yawned as she poured coffee. She was pretty sure Ruby was in violation of some child labor law by making her work the closing shift on Friday night and the opening shift on Saturday morning. _Or perhaps she was just plotting with her grandmother to ensure she had no chance at a social life. That was probably it. Never mind that Sarah got to basically do whatever and go wherever because of course Sarah would never do anything wrong!_

XXXXXXXX

Melissa McKee-Murdoch yawned as she pulled the door open and stepped into Kelly's Diner. Originally when she agreed to meet Alysha for breakfast at Kelly's at nine, before wedding dress shopping, she hadn't been working Friday night. But somehow, Amy Vining needed yet another day off for yet another undisclosed reason and she ended up having to pick up the shift. Then of course, because of all the pacemaker drama, she hadn't gotten out of the hospital until almost 6:30 even though her twelve-hour shift should have ended at six AM. At that point, she decided she didn't really have enough time to actually sleep so she went to the gym, went home, showered, and had Chase drop her off at Kelly's on his way to spend another Saturday locked in his office working on the Kaylee Reynolds trial.

Ironically, or perhaps just the reality of living in a small city, when she sat down at an empty table Melissa realized that right across the diner sat Kaylee Reynolds herself and her attorney, Justus Ward. Kelly's Diner seemed a strange place for a case conference, or perhaps they were really just enjoying Ruby's pancakes. It really was none of her business and, unlike Amy Vining, she could accept that.

As Melissa dismissed that thought, an anything but cheerful brunette appeared at her elbow. "Are you ready to order or do you need a menu?" she asked.

"I'm meeting a friend but how about some coffee while I wait?" Melissa asked. She smiled when the teen scowled a bit as she stalked off to grab the coffee pot. She reminded Melissa of herself a bit when she had been younger. She had waitressed at Kelly's throughout most of high school and even during nursing school. She didn't miss it.

The waitress, who's nametag proclaimed her as Liz, returned with the coffee pot and started to pour coffee while she covered a yawn with her spare hand.

Melissa was quite sure that yawn would not be well received if it was caught by Ruby. She knew that all too well from experience. She hadn't exactly been one of Ruby's favorite employees, but she was Bobbie's foster daughter which had provided a certain amount of job security even if she hadn't been sure that was actually any kind of gift when she had been sixteen and seventeen. "Thank you," she offered.

Liz shrugged. "Yeah, no problem," she mumbled before she stalked back across the diner to replace the coffee pot.

Melissa took a sip of her coffee and then looked up at the door after hearing the familiar jangle. She raised her hand as Alysha walked in.

"Sorry, I ended up working last night and Dr. Devlin was on call so I spent all night praying my symptomatic bradycardia patient didn't deteriorate into actual asystole. Eventually Dr. Quartermaine came in and recognized that heart rates in the twenties are not compatible with long life so she took the patient to the cath lab and put in a pacemaker which was great but also meant I had a ton of extra preoperative paperwork to do at the end of shift and of course I didn't get out on time. So, right now there is just not enough coffee in the world," Melissa said as Alysha sat down.

"Should we just reschedule the shopping part?" Alysha asked.

"Aren't you and Alex getting married in the beginning of January? If your dress ends up needing any kind of alterations, I think we're already cutting it close," Melissa said.

"I guess, I don't know, I've never done this before," Alysha said.

"I got my dress from Wyndam's but it was too loose through the lower torso so they had to temper that part and it was barely ready on time and my mother in law is practically besties with Shelly," Melissa said.

"Who is Shelly?"

"Shelly Wyndam. Her husband, Paul, is the Wyndam heir," Melissa said.

"Ok, I still have no idea who that is other than I guess they own the department stores," Alysha said.

"Yeah, Chase and I are kind of from different worlds in many ways," Melissa said. She offered the words with much more lighthearted nonchalance than she really felt most days. As much as Eleanor Murdoch was, at least outwardly, perfectly kind to her and as much as she assured herself that she had married Chase not his high society family she often felt on the outside looking in.

XXXXXXXX

Justus Ward regarded his client carefully. Attorneys couldn't suborn perjury so he had learned quite quickly to be careful what questions he asked. The justice system was predicated upon the presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt and it became very difficult, if not impossible, to provide a proper defense if either element was pierced. Of course, the whole point of the trial was for the prosecution to pierce the presumption of innocence beyond any doubt.

Admittedly the prosecution was only about one and a half days into their case because Wednesday was a trial dark day for Judge Lombardi and the Thursday morning session had been taken up by opening statements but Justus had yet to see anything beyond circumstantial evidence. Chase Murdoch had spent four hours parading through witnesses to Kaylee's altercation with Dr. Dorman the day before he died. He had painted a clear picture for the jury that his client had blamed Dr. Dorman for her brother's death. Of course, that didn't mean she would murder anyone.

"I just want this over with. This trial is killing my parents and I'm going to end up losing an entire semester of college at this rate," Kaylee said.

Justus decided this was not the time to point out that unless the jury returned a not guilty verdict, she would miss out on a lot more than a semester of college. Kaylee was twenty-one years old; she should have her whole life ahead of her.

"ADA Murdoch told the judge he anticipated that he would need three more days to present the state's case so between Judge Lombardi taking a trial dark day and Monday's holiday that will take up all of next week. That means we won't even get to start presenting our defense until the week of October twentieth. I will take at least a full week myself so I doubt the jury will even be able to start deliberations before the thirtieth," Justus said.

"So, we could potentially have a verdict on Halloween? I'm not superstitious but that sounds a bit ominous," Kaylee said.

Justus supposed it would be even more ominous to have a verdict on the thirtieth since, in his experience, when juries came back that quickly they did not acquit.

XXXXXXXX

Scott Baldwin pulled the door open to Kelly's Diner and waited for Danielle to step inside. "So, Lucy really went through with it and married Rex, huh?" he asked as he followed her into the diner.

Danielle sighed. "Yes, she did. Maybe the worst part is that I think she actually loves him," she said.

Scott sighed himself as he pulled out a chair for Danielle. He had a hard time believing anyone could love Rex. His wife certainly hadn't and Dominique had basically loved everyone. But Lucy was a creature of habit. As long as he had known her, she had buried her grief in a new relationship, built it up quickly, and then gotten badly burned. From what he understood she had married Dr. Tony Jones about three months after she had miscarried Jake Meyers's baby. That marriage had barely lasted a year and resulted in a contentious divorce as Lucy tried to pillage as many of Tony's assets as possible.

Apparently, his brother in law, Dr. Alan Quartermaine had been Lucy's next target, however, their relationship had never existed beyond Lucy's dreams. In a way he supposed that Alan's fidelity had started a chain of events that had resulted in Lucy's second unplanned pregnancy. He supposed it had also been his second unplanned pregnancy as well. Of course, in 1989, when he had pushed a for a prenatal paternity test which showed he was indeed the father of Lucy's baby, he had no idea that Karen Wexler was his daughter.

Their baby's heart had stopped somewhere around nineteen weeks. When he had visited Lucy in the hospital after her D&C she had made it clear that she had hated him. He had wondered if he hated her as well.

 _July 11, 1989_

 _Scott Baldwin hesitated outside the door to Lucy Coe's room on 2 North clutching a peace lily. When Bobbie had called him and told him that Lucy Coe's name had shown up on the OR for a D &C for a fetal demise he had been conflicted over his next move. Of course, he had been conflicted most of the two months which he had known he was the father of Lucy's baby. __Lucy had made it perfectly clear that she didn't want him to be the father of her child. She had explained how he was ruining her plan to have Alan, who she had never actually had sexual relations with, claim her child. Scott had been sure she was insane._ _He had accepted that Lucy wasn't going to make it easy for him to be a father to his child. His sister, Monica, ironically the wife of Lucy's desired father of her child, had advised that he offer to pay her medical bills for the pregnancy and then give her some space. She had said pregnancy could be a wonderful time but it could also be confusing and stressful._

 _He had taken Monica's advice. But then Bobbie had called and broken to him that his child would never be born alive. He was pretty sure she had likely broken some patient confidentiality rule to share that information and he didn't want to get her in trouble. So perhaps his best approach would have just been to mourn for his child away from Port Charles. Yet he hadn't been able to do that. So, he had carefully shown up at the hospital just in time to catch Lucy walking in for her procedure. He had felt a bit deceitful allowing her to believe it was a chance meeting but he had. Now Lucy's procedure was over and Scott was working up the courage to face her._

 _"_ _Is Lucy resting?" Jessie Brewer RN asked as she approached Lucy's room._

 _Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure," he said._

 _"_ _You're still working up your courage to face her?" Jessie asked._

 _"_ _I just don't want to make this harder for her, you know," Scott said._

 _"_ _This is a loss you need to get through together. You're the only other person who can begin to understand this loss for her; you are the father of the baby she is grieving."_

 _Scott didn't have the heart to admit that as much as that was true, it was not the way Lucy wanted to view the situation. So, he took a deep breath instead and forced himself to open the door to Lucy's room. When he stepped inside, he saw that she was lying on her side with her back to the door. He heard her breath catch as if she was crying not to cry. He swallowed a lump of his own unshed tears as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Lucy," he said._

 _Lucy whipped around onto her back so quickly that Scott had to brace himself. Amber eyes glared in his direction. "You should be! You had to force the issue that this was your child! I don't want your child! Don't you understand the only way I could make myself love this baby was to pretend it was a Quartermaine? You forced me to face the truth and that is why I lost this baby. If you had just left well enough alone, I know I could have convinced Alan that this was his child. I could have."_

 _"_ _Lucy, I know you're grieving but that is ridiculous!" Scott said._

 _"_ _I'm not grieving! Why would I grieve for a baby I never wanted in the first place? You should go. Go!"_

 _Scott set the peace lily down on the table. "I'm going to go. I'll take care of all the arrangements for the baby," Scott said. He figured it was the least he could do._

They had buried the baby in the Baldwin Family plot at Memorial Cemetery. They had a simple graveside ceremony with his family. Lucy did not attend. Scott had made one more attempt to reach out to her before leaving town. She had seemed even more furious than she had been in the hospital so he had just tried to let it go.

"You don't think she loves Rex?" Danielle asked.

Scott forced himself to let go of the painful memories. "I guess only Lucy knows where her heart lies," he said.

"But you know her pretty well," Danielle said.

"I thought I did," Scott said sadly. As much as Lucy frustrated him almost always, and as much as she had hurt him both directly and indirectly in the past; he had come to trust and appreciate that she did love Serena. Yet, even when he had tried to explain that Dominique herself wouldn't have wanted her daughter around Rex, she hadn't respected that. All of that had caused him to question if he really knew her at all.

Or maybe he knew Lucy better than she knew herself, as ridiculous as that sounded. He could see that she was falling back into familiar patterns and throwing herself into a new relationship with the first guy who came along to avoid the grief she should be facing from the loss of her baby with Kevin. He could see that. Unfortunately, the first guy who came along was a threat to his daughter. As much as he wanted to extend grace he could not, and would not. risk Serena's safety. As he met Danielle's eyes he realized that once again the timing fit almost to the day, just a decade later. Lucy had miscarried her child with Jake Meyers in July 1987 and married Dr. Tony Jones in October 1987. She had miscarried Dr. Kevin Collins's child in July 1997 and married Rex Stanton in October 1997.

"I know this hard is for you. I was serious when I told you I would do anything I could to help you and Serena," Danielle said.

"I appreciate that. For now, I think the best thing you can do is be there for Serena. I'm glad you and Karen are going to be able to go to the Fall Carnival at her school this afternoon."

Danielle seemed to relax at those words. "Of course, I love spending time with Serena and as I've gotten to know Karen more I really like her as well. When you called this morning I was afraid you would want me to testify against Rex or something," Danielle said.

Scott knew that at some point he might need that but he also knew that could put Danielle herself in danger and she was his wife's baby sister. Dominique would want him to protect her at almost all costs. "I hope it won't come to that," he said. He noted how Danielle's shoulders tensed at his words. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

XXXXXXXX

Brenda Barrett glanced at the clock when she stepped into Kelly's Diner and realized she was more than thirty minutes early to meet Robin. For someone who struggled with punctuality, this was a rarity but somehow, she had just needed to get out of the Quartermaine house. So, almost as soon as Monica walked in from the hospital, she had blurted out that Alan and Emily were running; Kirk and Dylan were supposed to be getting ready for their soccer game; Katelyn was ready for junior swim team and out in the rose garden with Alli, Serena, and Lila; and she was late to meet Robin for breakfast. Monica seemed a bit overwhelmed by that update, or maybe she was surprised to hear Robin was back in town, but she had just told Brenda to have fun and went off to take a shower. A better nanny probably would have offered to wait until Monica was out of the shower but Brenda was not that person so she just grabbed her keys and walked out the door.

As she made her way to the counter, she offered Scott Baldwin and his sister in law a quick smile and wave. Then she realized that the blonde woman with Justus Ward was Kaylee Reynolds. Brenda offered an awkward smile in Kaylee's direction. They had been friends during the two months they shared a dorm room at Port Charles University and even after that. Things had just gotten awkward after Allison had come clean to her parents about Kaylee's brother Matt's drug use, Alan and Monica had taken the position that they would have wanted to know so they went to the Reynolds and, at least as Brenda understood it, were not well received. All the awkwardness only amplified after Matt's death and the revelation that Dr. Pierce Dorman had been his supplier.

"Well, I see your friend is here, I'm going to get working on those additional witness subpoenas," Justus Ward said as he stood up from the table. "Brenda," he said with a nod as he stepped away from the table.

 _Justus thought she was meeting Kaylee for breakfast?_ _Was it possible that Lila had gotten the message wrong?_ "Umm, hi," she said as she started to absently pull out a chair.

"You don't have to feel you have to sit down. I understand if you don't want to be seen with an accused murderess," Kaylee said.

Brenda cringed. She had spent so much of her life feeling like she had a scarlet letter permanently emblazoned on her chest. She pulled the chair out the rest of the way and sat down. "No, it's fine, anyway, I know you didn't do it," she said.

Kaylee's eyes widened. "Does that mean you know who did kill Dr. Dorman?" she asked.

"No, I didn't mean that. I just mean I know that you wouldn't kill anyone, not even a sociopath like Pierce Dorman," Brenda said.

"I appreciate that. I also appreciate whatever you said to your fiancé that convinced him to pay for my defense," Kaylee said.

Brenda was a bit curious about what Sonny had told Kaylee, but she didn't want to ask. She hadn't been opposed to Sonny paying Kaylee's legal expenses but she was quite certain he was writing checks to Justus much more because whoever had actually killed Dr. Dorman was one of his enemies than because Kaylee was her friend. "Sonny isn't my fiancé anymore, and I think he is helping you as much because Pierce Dorman was a menace as because we're friends but, if I encouraged him to do the right thing, I'm glad."

"I'm sorry, I guess I got the impression that you and Sonny had more postponed than outright cancelled the wedding," Kaylee said.

Brenda refrained from asking when Kaylee had last spoken with Sonny. When he had called off their wedding, he had made it quite clear that she wasn't safe in his world. She was still working on accepting that. "I think perhaps that is optimistic thinking on both of our parts. Perhaps Ned has a point when he says unfortunately sometimes love just isn't enough."

"Perhaps…" Kaylee said rather wistfully.

"Are you and Raoul having problems?" Brenda asked.

"Good question, and if I ever get a chance to speak to him for even five minutes, I guess we could discuss that. Apparently all first-year medical students eat, sleep, and breathe anatomy lab. I'm probably being melodramatic. I knew we were going to be apart this year since he got his SUNY Brooklyn acceptance right before Christmas. I kind of grasped that medical school was intense and he wouldn't have a lot of time. guess I just didn't realize we would be apart while I was on trial for a murder I didn't commit. To be fair, he offered to defer a year but I told him that was ridiculous."

"But now you regret that?" Brenda asked.

"Logically, absolutely not!"

Brenda could understand that. Logically, she almost grasped that perhaps walking away was the most loving thing Sonny could do. That didn't mean it didn't still hurt more than she could explain. "Logically, I should move on from Sonny," she said.

"But you can't?" Kaylee asked.

"Not really."

"So, are you just showing up everywhere on Jasper Jacks' arm because your modeling contract requires that?"

Brenda hesitated. Technically, Kaylee was pretty close to the truth but Jax would be furious at the implication that he needed to pay someone to be his date. Never mind that he had essentially written exactly that into her contract. "Jax is my good faith effort to move on," she said.

"And how is that working?" Kaylee asked.

"Well, I suppose my sister would approve. Or I think she would," Brenda said.

"Do you see her more now? That's good, right?" Kaylee asked.

"Actually, I haven't seen Julia since last December when she and Ned had some board meeting in Pennsylvania. They traveled together for some reason and she left Cooper here while they were gone."

"I guess I was presuming she had met Jax."

"Oh, I'm sure she knows him, or at least knows of him. Julia knows everyone, or at least anyone successful and potentially useful," Brenda said.

"I see," Kaylee said.

"Really?"

Kaylee laughed. "No, honestly, not much at all. But then my mom teaches kindergarten and my father is a foreman at the ELQ Pharmaceuticals Production House. I live a simple life, or I did. On that note, I was supposed to go to the library after meeting Justus. I have a paper due in Child Development on Monday. Yes, I know if I get convicted of this murder, I didn't commit none of that will matter but I'm channeling some optimism, at least today," she said as she stood up.

Brenda also stood up and hugged her friend. "Optimism is good, it works for AJ. Seriously, I hope this all works out, I do believe in you, and I'll try to be a better friend."

"You're a fine friend," Kaylee whispered before she turned to go.

When Brenda sat back down at the empty table, she thought about what Kaylee had said. She was almost certain she had never had a simple life. She had grown up in a mansion in California with absent parents and servants who tolerated her at best. At twelve she got banished to Briarton-Griggs for boarding school. She graduated three semesters early which her father seemed to view as more of an inconvenient annoyance than an accomplishment. He had been on wife number three by then. Her stepmother, who also happened to be her aunt, basically hated her. So that led her at least indirectly to applying to Port Charles University and modeling for Deception Cosmetics. She had met Robin Scorpio on her flight to Port Charles.

 _January 1, 1994_

 _"_ _Are you sure your friend won't mind giving me a ride?" Brenda Barrett asked uneasily as she followed the short brunette she had met on the plane down the ramp into the arrival gate at Port Charles International Airport. "I can totally get a cab or something like that I'm sure."_

 _"_ _Lois won't mind. Actually, her boyfriend's family owns part of the cosmetics company you're modeling for," Robin said._

 _"_ _Deception?" Brenda asked warily. She wondered if telling Robin about that on the plane had been a mistake._

 _"_ _Yes, supposedly it was a courtesy buy in because the company was started by Dominique Baldwin and her husband's sister is married to Dr. Alan Quartermaine. Or that was Lucy's opinion, but I think that was mainly because she was trying to get ELQ to invest in Temptations and Edward said her business plan had more holes in it than Swiss Cheese."_

 _"_ _What is Temptations?" Brenda asked as they stepped into the terminal._

 _"_ _It's a dress line, formal high fashion that kind of stuff. Some of it's a little scary but some of it's nice. Oh, there is Lois," Robin said pointing to a woman with very dark almost black hair, olive skin, and, in surprising contrast, very blue eyes._

 _Brenda hung back slightly as Robin jogged across the waiting area to her friend._

 _"_ _How was your flight?" Lois asked_

 _"_ _It was ok, it's not exactly the Quartermaine Jet but some of us live simpler lives. So how was last night?" Robin said._

 _"_ _Amazing!"_

 _"_ _Good, Stone was kind of worried but I knew it would go ok. Thanks for picking me up since Uncle Mac was being all paranoid about Stone doing it. Oh, this is Brenda Barrett we're going to give her a ride too, she's going to be the new spokes model for Deception."_

 _"_ _My sympathies," Lois said._

 _"_ _Sorry I should have explained. Lois and Katherine Bell aren't exactly friends," Robin said._

 _"_ _Oh," Brenda said unsure what else to say. "Also, I wouldn't exactly consider myself their spokes model it's just two photo shoots one next Thursday and one the Tuesday after that but I'm going to PCU in the fall so I figured I would get settled and stuff."_

 _"_ _You sound very organized, waiting to start college is sometimes a good plan," Lois said._

 _"_ _Would you please tell my Uncle Mac that, he might actually listen if you said it," Robin said._

 _Lois laughed. "Sorry, Robin, I am not going there with your uncle. Anyway, maybe it will be good for you and Stone to have some time apart, absence often makes the heart grow fonder."_

 _"_ _I thought you said you got into Harvard? You would really turn that down for this guy he must be really special," Brenda said as they collected their luggage and made their way to Lois' car._

 _"_ _He's special enough to not want her to sacrifice her dreams for him, Brenda," Lois said._

 _"_ _It isn't really sacrificing. PCU is a good school," Robin said._

 _"_ _Yeah, but it isn't exactly Harvard. My sister got her MBA from there," Brenda said._

 _"_ _Really when did she graduate? Ned went to law school there," Lois said._

 _Brenda thought for a moment. "I guess in 1985. She's moving to Seattle in another month which is a little frustrating I guess we're just destined to be on opposite coasts."_

 _"_ _Are you really close? Not geographically I mean," Lois said._

 _"_ _Umm we kind of weren't for a while but her son is great. I have the coolest nephew, he just turned seven."_

 _"_ _So, he's the same age as Dylan," Robin said._

 _"_ _May I ask who Dylan is?"_

 _"_ _Ned's little brother," Robin said._

 _"_ _So, is Ned the infamous boyfriend?" Brenda asked._

 _Lois blushed slightly. "He kind of is the family black sheep, but I think that's why I love him."_

 _"_ _Sorry I didn't mean anything bad. Robin mentioned that your boyfriend's family owned part of Deception."_

 _"_ _Their company has some shares in some diversified profile or something like that. I don't really understand it. The less Ned and I discuss his family the better."_

 _"_ _Oh, are they really snobby rich?" Brenda asked. That could basically describe her stepmother and all of her friends._

 _"_ _Basically, and I'm sure they hate my Brooklyn accent. Nedly was married before too, to some gold digger, and I guess she ended up with quite a nice alimony settlement which I'm sure just makes him more of a black sheep. His grandmother is sweet, but his mother, don't even get me started."_

 _Brenda and Robin both laughed._

Remembering that conversation Brenda remembered Ned describing Lois to Jax as his beautiful and gregarious wife at Sonny and Lily's wedding. Gregarious was a great word for Lois; after all who invited basically complete strangers to spend the weekend with them?

 _January 1, 1994_

 _"_ _I can't believe you're letting me stay here for the weekend," Brenda said as Lois led her into her apartment._

 _"_ _Well, your other option is some annoying hotel until you can look for something more permanent on Monday. I think there are a few apartments in this building available or you can see if Ruby has any rooms available."_

 _"_ _Ruby?"_

 _"_ _Ruby Anderson, she owns Kelly's Diner and rents some rooms upstairs. That's what I would do if I was you because it's kind of a younger crowd and you'll meet people. Of course, if your parents visit all the time with no notice then you probably need your own place."_

 _"_ _No, I don't think that will be a problem," Brenda said sadly._

 _Lois touched her shoulder. "Are you ok?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, I guess I'm just homesick," Brenda lied. It was hard to really be homesick for a home that was never really yours in the first place. Plus, it wasn't like she was close to her father, or that he hadn't taken Stacia's side and agreed that it would really be better for everyone if she left. She didn't miss her father; she had given up on him being the kind of father she had read about in books years ago. She missed Bree, her adorable little sister who was too young to understand or really probably even remember she had ever existed; and she missed Cooper, her nephew who was really the only person in the family who loved her._

 _"_ _Do you want to call your parents? I don't mind."_

 _"_ _No, it's ok I'll call them after I have an address and a phone number," Brenda lied. There really wasn't any point in talking to people who kicked you out of their house._

 _"_ _Are you sure? My Ma would completely loose it I think if I had moved across the country and not called her."_

 _"_ _Well it's not really my mom, Stacia is my stepmother."_

 _Lois reached out and pulled Brenda into her arms which surprised her. The next thing she knew they were both sitting on Lois' couch. "Oh, honey I'm sorry. How old were you when your mom died?" Lois asked._

 _"_ _Oh, she isn't dead, she and my dad divorced a while ago. But they had been separated for a few years before that, it wasn't really until he wanted to marry Stacia that they finalized the divorce. I haven't seen her in years though. I went to boarding school and stuff when I was younger."_

 _"_ _So, did Ned some place up in Vermont."_

 _"_ _Mine was in Maine but probably equally cold. Briarton-Griggs Academy," Brenda said._

 _"_ _That name sounds familiar for some reason?"_

 _"_ _It's kind of annoyingly pretentious. It's not actually the greatest school but people think it is. If your boyfriend has sisters they might have gone there," Brenda said._

 _"_ _Just one, and she's two."_

 _"_ _So, his mom must be on at least a second family, right?"_

 _"_ _Yes, she married a shrink when he was in high school and Dylan and Shannon are her kids with him."_

 _"_ _So, do I get to meet this guy?"_

 _"_ _Sure, you can come with me tonight. You aren't twenty one yet are you?"_

 _"_ _No, is that a problem?"_

 _"_ _No, it shouldn't be just don't plan on drinking and everything will be cool."_

 _"_ _Oh, I don't drink. So where are we going?"_

 _"_ _I'm the entertainment director at a club called Luke's Place. It's a neat place, it's where I met Ned actually."_

 _"_ _That sounds like a cool job."_

 _"_ _Yeah, it's been fun. I'm ready for my day job to take over though," Lois said._

 _"_ _What is that?"_

 _"_ _Oh, I own a recording studio with Sonny. It's kind of small but I think we're going places, I hope."_

 _"_ _That sounds even cooler. Robin said she had cool friends. So, does her boyfriend work for you?"_

 _"_ _Stone? Yeah you will meet him tonight too. He's a really good kid."_

 _"_ _Why does Robin's Uncle hate him then?"_

 _"_ _Because he's dating Robin mostly. Well, and he lives with Sonny who used to own a strip club before. He sold it about a year ago but I think a lot of people still hold that against him."_

 _"_ _How did you meet Sonny?"_

 _"_ _I've known Sonny forever; I don't know since I was four or five maybe. He and his mother used to live on our street and he played baseball with my older brother. At some point he started spending more time at our house than his own and he completely moved in with my parents his senior year of high school when his stepfather tried to kill him."_

 _"_ _Like really tried to kill him?"_

 _"_ _Deke used to beat him pretty badly and eventually you have to start fighting back I guess but it made it worse. Deke was cop, he just wasn't a great shot though fortunately."_

 _"_ _He actually tried to shoot at him?"_

 _"_ _Supposedly he was cleaning his gun and didn't realize the safety didn't catch but Sonny never went back when Deke was there again. He'd still sneak over and visit his mom some she died my freshman year of college."_

 _"_ _That's really sad. Is his father still alive?"_

 _"_ _Deke died a year before his mom. I think his biological father is alive somewhere but Sonny hasn't seen him in years," Lois said._

XXXXXXXX

Robin Scorpio was surprised to see Brenda already sitting at a table in Kelly's Diner when she arrived. Punctuality wasn't Brenda's thing so she had to wonder what exactly was up with that.

"Hey! I told Lila ten o'clock so I'm sorry if she told you the wrong time," Robin said as she joined Brenda at the table.

"Lila told me the correct time. Contrary to popular belief, I am not always late!" Brenda said.

 _Yikes!_ Robin thought as she pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. "I didn't really mean to imply that, sorry," she said.

"It's ok. Jax gave me this whole lecture on the importance of punctuality so I guess I'm just being oversensitive, as my sister would say."

Robin wasn't sure exactly how to respond. Sometimes Brenda's self-depreciation was a bit much. Of course, old habits died hard, and she had spent the better part of almost four years being Brenda's cheerleader. "So, how is the Jacks Cosmetics thing going?" she asked.

Brenda shrugged her shoulders. "It is modeling, stand still, look pretty," she said.

"But you like that, right?" Robin asked.

Brenda shrugged her shoulders again. "I guess, or maybe I do. At this point does it really matter?"

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"I don't know, forget I said anything. So, anyway, how is school?"

"It's fine, I guess," Robin said.

"Well, that sounds encouraging," Brenda said.

"It's actually fine, it's just a lot of work."

"Do you have a break because of Columbus Day?"

"Not really, I have classes on Monday actually. I just came back because of the wedding."

Brenda raised an eyebrow. "Wedding? Did you and Jason reconcile and then elope or something? He was at the Quartermaines yesterday saying goodbye to Lila and Carly."

"Why was Carly at the Quartermaines?" Robin asked.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you; Ned and Carly got married two weeks ago," Brenda said.

"What? Why would Ned marry Carly?"

"Purportedly they are both committed to raising their child in a marriage of cooperation and mutual respect."

"Ned and Carly have a child? When did that happen? Is that why he and Lois divorced?"

"Carly is pregnant now and I guess Ned is the father of that baby," Brenda said.

Robin shook her head. She wasn't sure what game Carly was playing. She had feared that Carly could be pregnant with Jason's child. Jason had admitted he had slept with her, a lot! She had forgiven that. Or maybe she had. Then she was almost certain she had heard Carly admitting that her baby was Jason's child when Jason had been shot during the summer. But then Carly had continued planning an ostentatious wedding with Dr. Tony Jones and Jason had seemed oblivious to the possibility that Carly's child could be his so Robin had let it go. "How is that even possible?" she asked.

"Are you really asking that? Obviously at some point she and Ned must have had unprotected sex," Brenda said.

Robin rolled her eyes involuntarily and shook her head again. "Yes, Brenda, I understand the concept of human reproduction. It was more like what was Ned thinking and why would he sleep with that?"

"That's a bit harsh. I understand you and Carly aren't friends but she is still human. No, she isn't Lois, but no one is, and yeah last winter was a pretty dark time for Ned so he might not have been super responsible about protection or maybe the condom broke. It's really so not my business."

Robin rolled her eyes again. "Oh please, I'm sure the Quartermaines asked all of my questions and more. They can't be happy about this marriage."

"I sense Edward is just excited about another grandchild. I think Lila befriended Carly when she was hanging around with Jason so maybe she actually is happy about this. Monica and Alan are always so respectful and kind that it can be hard to tell what they really think but they certainly haven't said anything negative about Carly.

"What about Tracy?"

Brenda shrugged her shoulders. "According to AJ, she toasted them at the reception, welcomed Carly to the family, and assured her thatthe entire Quartermaine family loved Ned and they would certainly come to love anyone Ned loved so fiercely," she said.

Robin smiled. She was pretty sure that Tracy highly doubted her son loved Carly and it was basically her eloquent way of saying screw you to Carly politely. "Somehow I doubt Ned loves Carly," she said.

"Again, not really any of my business," Brenda said.

Brenda seemed a little annoyed so Robin decided to let it go as a brunette teen appeared at their table.

"Are you ready to order," their pouting waitress asked.

"I just want some tea. Sorry, Robin, I already ate because Monica got stuck in the cath lab putting in a pacemaker or something so Lila made breakfast and after she ground up all those nuts for the oatmeal, I couldn't exactly say no," Brenda said.

Robin involuntarily rolled her eyes again. Quartermaine Breakfast was usually heart healthy but rarely drama free. She had attended more than her fair share of them as there were many months that she spent more nights sleeping at the Quartermaines than her own home. Her mother had considered play dates free baby sitting so Robin had still been having extended playdates and sleepovers with AJ Quartermaine in junior high. "I'll have the scrambled eggs with toast and orange juice,"she said.

"Why does the waitress look familiar?" Robin asked.

"That is Elizabeth Webber. She is Audrey Hardy's granddaughter. I guess her father did residency with Alan and Monica. She and her sister are staying with their grandmother for the school year while their father is in Bosnia. She has hung out with Emily and Allison at the Quartermaines a few times."

"Oh, so, I guess if you thought Jason could have eloped you have no idea where he is either?" Robin asked.

Brenda shook her head. "Although based on the intensity of his goodbye with Carly, I'm guessing he won't be back in Port Charles anytime soon."

That was not the answer Robin had wanted.

"Ok, but that reminds me, you never told me what wedding you came back for," Brenda said.

"Lucy Coe married Rex Stanton at Chez Nous last night. I was in the bridal party."

"Ok, maybe that explains why Monica is even more on edge," Brenda said.

"Why would Monica care who Lucy marries? I mean I know Lucy lusted after Alan for years but I thought she finally got over him when she got involved with Kevin," Robin said.

"I don't think Monica really cares who Lucy marries except now she will probably be forced to make sure Lucy isn't bringing Serena around Rex."

"Why would that be Monica's responsibility? Scott Baldwin is basically the most overprotective dad out there," Robin said. She had been raised by Mac Scorpio, so, if she was picking up on it there was definitely something there.

"True, but Serena has been staying with Alan and Monica since last Saturday," Brenda said.

"Why?"

"Scott got arrested and that triggered an emergency shelter hearing."

"Scott Baldwin got arrested? What did he do?"

"It was alleged that he raped one of his office interns. She is sixteen so the DA is filing charges for rape 1."

"Wow!" Robin said. That was definitely not what she had been expecting. Although that seemed to be the theme for her life. Her Uncle Mac had resigned from the PCPD and gone off to New Jersey to help Felicia with some case. Bobbie Jones had joined them. Jason had basically out of nowhere decided his life was too dangerous for her. Basically, nothing was as she expected.


	57. Chapter 51: Between Husband and Wife

Ned Ashton reached for his cell phone quickly when it rang. Carly was still asleep in the upstairs bedroom of the Quartermaine Penthouse and he was doing his best not to wake her. "Hello, this is Ned Ashton," he said.

"I did it! I made the Gymnastics team!" Shannon Quartermaine-Grabler shrieked excitedly.

"Good job Shannon! See, you just have to work hard and believe in yourself. How about we go out to lunch to celebrate?" Ned asked.

"We have to go to Dylan and Kirk's soccer game. They're playing that team from Sutton that is supposed to be really good and then there is the fall carnival at school."

"Ok, well, how about you pencil me in for next Saturday," Ned suggested.

"We don't have school on Monday. Maybe we could go then," Shannon said.

"Unfortunately, I will be in Washington DC on Monday because I have an FDA hearing early Tuesday morning."

"What is the FDA?" Shannon asked.

"The FDA is the Food and Drug Administration. They approve prescription drugs for market and sale. They oversee the testing that shows the drugs are safe and effective. ELQ Pharmaceuticals in the final stage of getting approval for a new beta blocker."

"Is Carly going with you?" Shannon asked.

"Probably not this time; a lot of travel can be hard on her right now," Ned said. Of course, the idea of leaving Carly alone in Port Charles wasn't completely comforting; especially knowing that the only other person she might reach out to would be out of town at least indefinitely.

"So maybe Carly could come to lunch with us on Monday. Mom is taking me shopping."

Ned searched for words for his sister. Carly had surprised him with how willing she had been to spend time with his family and she had never been anything but kind to his little sister but he really doubted she wanted to go to lunch with his mother if without him. Lois never had. "I think Carly has some appointments on Monday as well so that may not work for her either. So maybe it would be best if we both took you to lunch next Saturday."

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton wondered who her husband was making lunch plans with as she descended the stairs in the Penthouse. She shuddered a bit as it occurred to her it could be his mother. She really hoped that was not the case.

Ned was off the phone by the time she stepped into the sunken living room. "Do I dare ask who we're going to lunch with next Saturday?" she asked punctuating her words with a yawn.

"Shannon made the gymnastics team so I thought we could take her out to lunch to celebrate. I'm sorry if I woke you up," Ned said.

"It is almost eleven. As my mother would say, it's past time I was up and at 'em," Carly said.

Ned chuckled. "Even so, I'm sure that this final trimester of pregnancy must be exhausting," he said.

"That is what everyone says but, really, it hasn't been bad. Well, except, I want to eat anything which isn't nailed down," Carly said.

"We can order room service, or we could stop at Kelly's on the way home," Ned offered.

"Both?" Carly asked.

Ned laughed.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine spotted her husband and then guided her youngest daughter up the stands around field 3 at Community Commons towards him. Glancing at the score board it appeared that there was another ten minutes left in the second half and her son and nephews' team was leading 3-1. Of course, in soccer, even youth soccer, the referee not the scoreboard clock was truly the official timekeeper so the period could last even longer.

"How is it going?" she asked as she settled Katelyn onto her father's lap.

"Pretty well; Kirk and Dylan both scored off assists from each other and Ross Barrington scored the other goal. I guess everyone is keeping their coronary arteries patent?"

"So far, let's hope," Monica said. She leaned into her husband's embrace and watched their son move the ball down the field. When Kirk scored she cheered along with the rest of the crowd uneasily. She forced herself to take, and then release a cleansing breath as she reaffirmed that Kirk and Dylan's soccer game was neither the time nor place to tell Alan about her own uncomfortable encounter with Dr. Tony Jones.

"Were your parents going to bring Serena to the school carnival or do we need to pick her up before we go?" Alan asked.

"They are going to meet us there, which is really convenient because this game is not likely to be over before noon. We still need to go home, have the kids change, eat lunch, and clean up after lunch. We will be doing very well if we're there by one. I told my dad we would meet near the carousel at one-thirty which may also be when we arrive," Monica said.

"You left soup in the crock pot, right?" Alan asked.

"Yes, I did, Minestrone, which is also doubling as the soup course for tonight's dinner with the Longworths. We're also having a green salad, and French beans with almonds. Your mother is making her signature rolls and I am expecting you to grill the salmon," Monica said.

"I'm impressed! How did you pull all of that together on such short notice?" Alan asked.

"We were originally having Salmon anyway; I just added a soup course. But don't tell your father that. Remind him that the next time he plans a dinner party in our home without at least notice, if not permission, he can move his party to the Port Charles Grille.," Monica said.

Alan smiled. "I love you!" he said.

XXXXXXXX

In Memorial Cemetery, Scott Baldwin packed the dirt back in on top of the tulip bulbs he had planted in front of his wife's grave. It was the first autumn that Serena hadn't helped. She had only been about nine months old that first autumn. He remembered sitting her in her carrier while he dug and planted. She had laughed and clapped her hands. She had Dominique's laugh which was more than a little bittersweet.

Scott shook his head at the memory and then reached out and laid a hand against Dominique's polished stone. "I thought I knew what scared was when you were battling cancer. But this, this, is a whole new level of fear. I could really lose her. I could lose our daughter!"

XXXXXXXX

Lucy Coe Stanton entered the apartment she had rented in Candlewick Park after she had ended her engagement to Dr. Kevin Collins. She had been spending most nights with Rex for weeks but had returned home to pick up some clothes before their flight to Paris. The apartment felt empty without Sigmund; apparently ELQ Enterprises, the owner of her complex, did not consider ducks an approved pet. Perhaps once Rex managed to establish dwelling rights at Serenity, Sigmund could move there. Perhaps…

XXXXXXXX

As she sat in the tennis bubble at the Port Charles Fitness Club, Melinda Bauer accepted that her son had absolutely no potential in tennis. She supposed that shouldn't surprise her, after all his father looked like an uncoordinated elephant on the court, except somehow it seemed that an elephant might have a stronger backhand than Warren possessed. Unfortunately for Kiefer, no one felt the need to let him win in the interest of corporate good will, so he was well on his way to losing yet another match and she could only shudder anticipating the violent tantrum the inevitable loss would provoke. Kiefer had inherited his temper from father as well.

XXXXXXXX

As he shared a table, in the main dining room of the Port Charles Country Club, with Rex Stanton and Alexander Cambias Sr., Warren Bauer realized he was crossing a moral and ethical line he hadn't crossed before. He might have flaunted his duty as an officer of the court; suborned perjury at least a thousand times; engaged in insider trading; and even orchestrated the murder of his first client but he had always maintained plausible deniability with a suitable patsy. That was how he rolled. Even so, treason was a new thing for him. He reflected on that. Not on the crime per se, or even the reality that he was willing to betray his country, but whether he had sufficient plausible deniability and whether Rex Stanton would once again be a suitable patsy.

Warren had known Rexford Stanton since he had been Avery Stanton's attorney in 1981. He and Rex had always had a bit of commensal symbiotic relationship even if Warren would deny that in most company. He had quickly learned of Rex's penchant for recreational hallucinogens and kinky sex. He had extended his connections and his discretion. In 1988 he had collected on that debt when he convinced Rex Stanton to plead guilty to insider trading in exchange for transactional immunity for Avery. He had arranged for the two-year sentence to be served at a cushy federal prison camp so he really hadn't considered it a huge hardship. At least not for Rex. There was no way he would have done it.

"Well, gentlemen, it's been fun, but I have a plane to catch. I'll be in touch," Alexander Cambias Sr. said as he started to rise from the table.

"Don't you have a private jet?" Warren asked. Once the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. The reality was that as much as he might wish he was nowhere near, and probably never would be near the net worth of Alexander Cambias Sr.

Alexander chuckled. "Of course, but I also have places to go and people to see," he said

"I will be in touch once I return from Paris," Rex offered.

Warren recognized the devious gleam in his client's eyes. He had seen that the night Rex had assured him that Dominique would marry Leopold Taub at the end of 1987. Surprisingly he had made good on that promise by kidnapping his niece at gunpoint. Warren hadn't expected that and it was then that he realized there wasn't much Rex wouldn't do. He found that both exhilarating and terrifying.

"So, have you filed the custody petition?" Rex asked once Alexander had left the table.

"I will file it with Judge Preston's clerk on Tuesday morning. We want them to join the custody petition with CHINS hearing. It actually makes it easier for the judge to grant custody to you. Also, if this fails, it gives us a second bite at the apple as long as Scott is actually convicted. I'm sure I don't have to explain to you how important it is that justice be served through the court," Warren said.

"I said I would take care of that and I will," Rex said.

The devious gleam returned to Rex's eyes and contextually that was more terrifying than exhilarating.


	58. Chapter 52: These Small Moments

Dr. Monica Quartermaine entered the pie tent at the Lilac Park Elementary Fall Carnival with a picnic basket containing two pecan pies, her contribution to the bake sale.

"Oh, Monica, don't tell me you had time to bake?" Andrea Floyd said in her syrupy sweet voice.

Monica forced a smile as she set the basket down on the long table and opened it. "I always make time for my children's school, so, here are two pecan pies as promised," she said.

"Of course," Andrea said as she raised an eyebrow in what Monica was sure was an effort to convey to Anette Hawthorne that she didn't believe her.

Monica simply removed the second pie from her basket without comment. Life was just far too short to get into some passive aggressive battle with Andrea Floyd.

"You didn't use a disposable pie plate! I can label them with your name but I can't force our patrons to return your pie plate," Andrea added haughtily.

"Those pie plates are just standard pyrex so, if I don't get them back, they are hardly irreplaceable. I'll be fine either way. Now, I'm off to try to ride the carousel with my children at least once before I get called back to the hospital, if you will excuse me," Monica said. She didn't wait for an answer but just strode out the other side of the tent to where Alan was waiting with four of their five children.

"Onward to the carousel?" Alan asked.

"Yes, yes!" Katelyn squealed.

"Yes, although somehow it is only quarter after one so keep your eyes peeled for my parents or Karen or Danielle," Monica said.

"Score one for Quartermaine efficiency," Allison said.

"I will say it is much easier to be efficient when father isn't there to point out our inefficiency at every turn," Alan said.

Monica had noticed that lunch was almost tranquil since Edward and Lila were attending some luncheon at the Country Club. She hadn't been about to point that out to her husband but if he noticed it himself perhaps it was fair game. "Good point, perhaps you can explain that to your father," she said.

"I think it's one of those things he just has to see for himself," Alan said.

Monica could see that. She could also see that her father in law never would. Life was once again too short, and really too long to push that issue.

"Is that why Aunt Tracy says it is much easier to love Grandfather unconditionally when he lives with us?" Kirk asked.

"Perhaps you could say that," Alan conceded as they entered the line by the carousel.

Monica was pretty sure that her sister in law had said that, and more, on multiple occasions. Ironically, she was also almost certain that, at least in his own mind, her father in law truly believed he was helping by living with them. To be fair though she supposed that despite all of his tirades and tribunals he did really love his children and his grandchildren. So, she was almost certain that it really could be worse.

XXXXXXXX

Robin Scorpio wandered through Wyndam's Department Store almost aimlessly. Apparently when Brenda had agreed to meet for breakfast, she meant that almost literally. After breakfast she had to go home, work on her statistics problem set and be available in case Monica had to go back to the hospital. That had left Robin desperate enough to call Keesha. Sure, they hadn't been super close since Robin had stolen her boyfriend but she figured Keesha should be over it especially since Brenda had mentioned over breakfast how cute a couple she and AJ made. Apparently, they were such a cute couple that they were carving pumpkins with the kids at Ward House so Keesha didn't have time to go shopping. She had invited Robin to join them at Ward House but that had sounded less than fun, and Robin had gotten the distinct impression that Keesha didn't really want her to come but had felt she had to extend the invitation to be polite.

So, with nothing better to do, Robin was browsing alone in Wyndam's. As was becoming typical in her life, even that quickly lost appeal and she was about to head back to her Uncle Mac's, order delivery from the Tea House,39 and just resign herself to a lame evening of a cable television. Then she heard a familiar, but annoyingly grating laugh and realized that Ned and Carly Ashton were about ten feet away looking at strollers. With that discovery, Robin decided it really was past time to get out of Wyndam's.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton was pretty sure that the stroller Ned wanted to buy cost more than her mother's car had when she was growing up. At that price, you would think it would walk the baby itself or something but it didn't seem to and she wasn't exactly sure why it was so expensive.

"So, what do you think?" Ned asked eagerly.

"It's nice," Carly said.

"It can also work as a travel system with the car seat I bought last week," Ned added.

 _Travel system? What was a travel system?_ Carly was a little afraid to ask. "So, if I let you pick the stroller, does that mean you will also push the stroller?" she joked instead.

"Sure, but I'm sure you will probably want to take him out some while I'm at the office so if there is another model that feels more comfortable for you, we can get that. Or maybe you will like the McLaren I'm sure Grandfather already ordered."

From context Carly presumed that McLaren was an expensive stroller brand but beyond that she was lost. "Seriously this is fine. I was mostly kidding anyway," she said.

XXXXXXXX

As the carousel came to a stop Dr. Monica Quartermaine's pager started to blare. Monica hit the button to silence the noise with a wry smile. She supposed there was worse timing as she helped Katelyn down from her horse and then reached for her niece Serena's hand.

"I have to go back to the hospital so we're going to have a quick hug right outside this gate and then I will be tagging in your father and your Uncle Alan," she said.

Sweet, but very quick hugs were accomplished in seconds and she passed Alan a grateful and knowing look. He returned it in kind and she was punching numbers on her cell phone to call back the ED even before she was out of ear shot of her kids.

As she confirmed that Dr. Larmon had activated the catheterization lab she jogged across the parking lot to her car. _Time was myocardium after all._

XXXXXXXX

"Oh, it's too bad that your mommy had to leave. Nothing is more important to me than my children," Andrea Floyd clucked.

Dr. Alan Quartermaine wrapped his arms more securely around his niece and daughter as he bristled at the catty remark from the PTA President. The implication was unkind but he rather doubted the face value of the original statement as well. After all none of the three Floyd children were within their line of sight so it wasn't like they were exactly having a quality moment with mom. "Sometimes even parents who love their children to infinity and beyond have to leave to tend to other responsibilities," he said.

"Yeah, my mommy saves lives! She's like a superhero, she just doesn't have a cape!" Katelyn added.

"Fortunately, you don't have to rush off to restore someone's cardiac perfusion, Mrs. Floyd. But Mr. Murty was hoping you could come over to the ring toss. Apparently, your son Jake got mad that he didn't win and is throwing the bottles instead of the rings," Emily said as she joined them with Kirk and Dylan in tow.

Andrea Floyd turned bright red and stalked off screaming "Jacob Garrett Floyd!"

"Please tell me no one got hurt," Alan said after Andrea's abrupt, yet very welcome, departure.

"No, Dylan and Kirk are rather quick on their feet. Allison stayed behind to help clean up and Mr. Murty sent me to find Mrs. Floyd."

"Ok, well in that case, I think sometimes timing is everything," Alan said.

"You mean because Jake decided to have his dramatic tantrum while Mrs. Floyd was nominating herself for mom of the year or because Mom didn't have to bail off the carousel while it was in motion?" Emily asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess both," Alan said.

"Jake has a tantrum anytime he doesn't get exactly what he wants, exactly when he wants it. So, the fact that he had one while his mom was overestimating her importance isn't actually that mathematically impressive," Dylan said.

Alan had to laugh at that.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Karen Baldwin-Cates walked in step with Danielle Stanton across the Lilac Park Elementary Playground. They both carried a full tray of caramel apples.

"I hate to say this but somehow I'm afraid we might not have enough caramel apples," Danielle said.

"We have a Baker's Dozen and there are only nine of us the last I counted. Plus, I think I saw Aunt Monica jogging across the field while we were waiting in line. If she had to go back to the hospital then we're down to eight."

"Good point! Did you decide to be a doctor because of your aunt?" Danielle asked.

Ironically Karen thought that she had been inspired by Dr. Monica Quartermaine when she had been volunteering at PCGH during college. Of course, she hadn't realized that the woman was her aunt at the time. "I actually didn't realize that Scott was my father until after I had started medical school," she said.

"Really? You and Serena are so close I guess I just figured you had known her all her life. I know you mentioned that it took you awhile to let Scott know he was your father but I guess I just presumed that was before Serena was born," Danielle said.

"I learned that Scott Baldwin was my father in December 1994. I didn't really get to know Serena as a sister until the next fall when she was three," Karen said.

"So, you never knew Dominique, I guess?" Danielle asked wistfully.

"Not really, I more knew of her. She kind of took Port Charles by storm during the brief period she lived here."

"Oh, so, you did grow up in Port Charles?"

"Yes, my parents both graduated from Port Charles High School. My mom was older by two years. They had a summer fling until he caught her making out with Cal Jamison in a stolen Porsche. Apparently, he paid her bail but broke up with her and went off to start his freshman year at Kent State. He had no idea my mother was pregnant and she felt he didn't deserve to know."

"Why?" Danielle asked.

"I guess because he broke up with her and she hadn't forgiven him for that. Logic, reasonableness, and my mother's perspective rarely exist in the same space. He met me briefly when I was four when his father was doing some legal work for my stepfather, Ray Conway, but I guess he presumed that Ray was my father. Eventually my mother slipped up and told me the truth when we were home for Christmas in 1994."

"I never knew who my father was until after Rex found me a few years ago. I knew from my birth certificate that I was born in Port Charles, NY at Mercy Hospital but that didn't really mean anything to me," Danielle said.

"How long did you stay in Port Charles?"

"I think just a few weeks. I don't remember any of this but my grandparents told me that my mom just showed up one day in early April with a baby. They hadn't even realized she was pregnant or anything. She ended up in a psychiatric facility a few weeks later so they raised me."

At face value Danielle's story seemed sad and Karen wanted to be sympathetic. She really did. But then she thought about how being raised by her grandparents would have been such a welcome thing. Unfortunately, her mother's parents had died shortly after her birth and her father's parents had no clue they were grandparents at all. "I'm sorry," she finally managed.

"Thank you and don't get me wrong, my grandparents were great. In some ways they really were my parents and I completely understand that there are kids who don't have it anywhere near as good as I did."

 _Like me_ , Karen thought but she didn't say that aloud as they had worked their way through carnival to where her Uncle Alan stood with her sister and most of her cousins. "Did Monica have to go back to the hospital?" she asked instead.

"She did," Alan said.

"I thought I saw her streaking across the field. Here, Serena, your favorite, Caramel Apples," Karen said as she extended one to her little sister.

Serena reached for the apple and then wrapped her arms around her sister in a hug. "Thank you! This has really been a great day, the only thing which could make it better would be if daddy was here."

"Yeah, I wish he could be here too. I know he is sorry he can't be," Karen said. She also knew her words were an understatement. Her father held a lot of, undeserved in her opinion, guilt for the times he had missed with her and the struggles and challenges she had faced. She suspected that made him particularly worried about what the current separation was doing to Serena. The situations were different though and she thought her conversation moments ago with Danielle had exemplified exactly that. Serena was losing out on time with their father and that was a tragedy. But Serena had a safe home with the Quartermaines which was going to make things significantly different than they had been for her.


	59. Chapter 53: Bonne Nuit, Ma Che re !

Moments before he pulled open the door to Kelly's Diner, Scott Baldwin caught sight of a familiar face. He paused and turned to his companion. "This truly is just one of those small city coincidences but if you would rather not be seen with me, we can go somewhere else or we can just skip the hot cocoa."

Eve followed his glance and then frowned as she saw her current attending devouring apple pie a la mode with his wife and twin daughters. "I realize you think this is all just a big joke, but it isn't that easy for me."

"Now you're putting words in my mouth, or presuming this was anything but a coincidence, or both," Scott said.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Am I expected to believe you just randomly picked this place?"

"No, but you're expected to trust that I didn't pick it to try to flaunt that you're with me. I like Kelly's Diner."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Scott decided to address the latter contention because it was easier. "Kelly's was the place to lunch back in the 80s. Everyone ate there. Lucy even lived there for a while. But, I guess, most importantly, it was where I really met my daughter for the first time."

Eve shrugged her shoulders. "Was that your choice?"

"She picked the meeting place. Her husband and one of her best friends lived there when he was just a beat cop and she was still finding her niche in the modeling industry."

"Her husband lived with her best friend?"

"He wasn't her husband then and he didn't live with Brenda they just both rented rooms upstairs above Kelly's. Brenda moved into the dorms at PCU the next fall and then ended up becoming my sister's kids' nanny after her stepmom dismantled her trust fund."

Eve rolled her eyes again. "Life is hard."

"Sometimes it can be. How about hot cocoa to go?" Scott can be.

XXXXXXXX

Edward Quartermaine settled into a wing chair in the sitting area of his bedroom suite in the west wing. "Dinner with the Longworths turned out surprisingly well, even if Monica barely returned home from the hospital in time to host them," he said.

"I think you need to be more mindful of the fact that Monica has a more than full time job at the hospital and it is neither her responsibility nor desire to host your business dinners," Lila said sharply.

"But, Lila…"

"No, Edward, it is past time that you listened! We moved in with Alan and Monica to help. I think we've become much more of a hindrance. If we were even a help in the beginning. Alan is right and these last-minute business dinners which Monica is expected to pull together and host need to stop."

"I shouldn't need to ask permission in my own home!" Edward protested.

"This is Monica's home. A home she is gracious enough to allow us to live in and spend time with our grandchildren," Lila said.

"It's only her house because my son gave it to her!" Edward fumed.

XXXXXXXX

In Paris France, Lucy Coe felt unsteady as she exited Le Tambour clinging to Rex's arm at almost 3 AM. _She supposed she had indulged in a bit too much champagne with dinner. Of course, how often did one honeymoon in Paris?_

"You certainly are a wild woman, Lucy Coe! I like it!" Rex said as they trudged up the street to the taxi stand.

"I feel alive with you, Rex!" Lucy murmured. The words had just slipped out but Lucy realized how stifled she had been with Kevin. She had always been tiptoeing around waiting for the next disapproving look or the next pained _Lucy!_ It really was different with Rex. He respected her and treated her as an equal. Kevin had always treated her like a project. The irony of that was not lost on Lucy, especially since apparently Kevin was the one in need of actual professional help.

"The feeling is mutual, ma chre," Rex said.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton tucked her feet up under her and curled deeper into the couch in the family room. As usual, Ned had headed upstairs to bed promptly at nine o'clock leaving her to surf channels aimlessly. Abandonment was a common theme in her relationships. Tony had always been abandoning her to go back to the hospital. Jason always left her for whatever Sonny needed. Theoretically Ned hadn't left, he was merely upstairs, asleep. Carly wasn't sure if that was actually better or not.

XXXXXXXX

As they walked along the Elm Street Pier with hot cocoa, Dr. Evelyn Lambert wondered if her life really had come full circle. Her mother, when semi-sane and somewhat sober had worked at the Fish Market on the Elm Street Pier. In between those periods there had been a few brief periods when the family had camped out on the pier while in between apartments. The worst of those had prompted the move to the Bronx after a caseworker from Children and Family Services started to take too much of an interest in Eve and her younger sister Shelley.

"So, are you still in a waiting game like you said the other night?" Eve asked.

"Basically, at least until the grand jury indicts," Scott said.

"Is that a good sign that they haven't yet? Like maybe they realize charging you in the first place was ridiculous?" Eve asked.

"In NY state, if the defendant isn't remanded, then the DA has six months from the original arrest to secure a felony indictment," Scott said.

"Then if they can't, does that mean that the charges get dropped?"

"If the defendant didn't waive speedy trial or their grand jury rights and there isn't some other extenuating circumstance that the judge allows then, yes," Scott said.

"Six months is a long time though," Eve said.

"Yes, especially for a five-year-old," Scott said sadly.

"So, you almost wish they would just indict you and get this over with?" Eve asked. She thought she would even if there wasn't the additional high stakes custody issue at play.

"At this point, it is kind of all I can hope for," Scott said.

"Well, maybe the grand jury won't indict. You have an alibi and if there is any DNA evidence that could actually clear you right?"

"Perhaps, but the prosecutor doesn't necessarily have to present all of that to the grand jury. It is a bit of an ethical gray area. You shouldn't withhold evidence, especially exculpatory evidence, but you also don't have to exactly serve as honorary defense counsel."

"Is that why they say the grand jury will indict a ham sandwich if asked?" Eve asked.

"Basically," Scott said.

"Have you ever done that?" Eve asked.

After an uncomfortable silence, Eve regretted the question. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that, I guess," she said.

"No, it's a fair question. I don't want to think I have but when you're prosecuting something you tend to get a bit of tunnel vision. Sometimes the focus is more on proving the alleged offender's guilt than being sure they really are guilty in the first place. I don't think I've ever tried someone who wasn't guilty but I'm sure that not everyone in Pentonville thinks I'm a great guy," Scott said.

Eve took another sip of her hot cocoa and contemplated that.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine exited the ensuite bathroom and returned to the master bedroom. It had been a long day and it was so tempting to just crawl into bed with her husband but the conversation she had been both avoiding and dreading most of the day needed to happen sometime. It would probably only get harder later.

Alan was sitting in one of the wing chairs by the fireplace flipping through Annals of Surgery when Monica positioned herself on the arm of his chair.

"Well, hello, there," Alan said. He closed his medical journal and reached to pull his wife a little closer.

"There is something we should talk about," Monica said as she moved into his lap.

"Of course," Alan said but Monica heard the apprehension in his voice. They had survived so much, yet, sometimes their marriage still seemed so tenuous.

Monica turned to face him and met his eyes. "So, I had my own awkward encounter with Tony this morning," she said.

"Did he hurt you?" Alan asked.

"Not physically, he was just so angry. He was shaking his fist and stomping. He thinks we're all plotting with Bobbie to take away all of his children."

"I'm sorry. I tried to encourage Bobbie to stay in Port Charles. I was even going to reach out to Monseigneur Farrington about her taking a position at Mercy Hospital. She is a great OR nurse so it would have been a loss for PCGH but I understood how it was awkward for her to continue to work with Tony and I was optimistic that some space would allow them to come together and co-parent," Alan said.

Monica wondered if Alan had wondered that because of the period of their marriage where they had been friendly professional colleagues and collaborative co-parents but not lovers. Alan had admitted that it had been lonely but he still considered it preferable to divorce. "I agree, I encouraged that as well. I think she considered all options but she just felt like she was drowning. Or that was what she said that night we had dinner a week before she left. But, Alan, this isn't just about Lucas. Tony believes that we're still plotting with Bobbie and that Ned is just part of the scheme."

"I don't see how this can end well. I wanted us to try to just support Ned and Carly and support Tony without being caught in the middle but now I don't really see how that is even possible. I think I need to give Ned a heads up that Tony is likely going to file a paternity petition with the court," Alan said.

"I understand why you feel that way. I'm just not sure if there is anything which Ned can do about that. The laws have changed since 1989 when we got caught in the middle of something like this with Scott and Lucy. Scott was able to file for a prenatal paternity test order but Tony won't be able to file anything until after the baby is born," Monica said.

"I guess I just think this is not the kind of thing someone needs to throw at them unexpectedly when they're sleep deprived with a newborn. I actually think it might be better to just get this all resolved before the baby comes and then at least they will have peace when they bring their child into the world," Alan said.

Monica could understand Alan's point. "You might be right," she said.

"But you don't really think I am?"

"I'm not saying that. However, I suspect that there was already a prenatal paternity test and I can't believe that Carly didn't share those results with Tony."

"So, you're afraid that Tony won't accept the second test results either?" Alan asked.

"That is one concern. I'm also remembering the whole scene between Tony and Damian Smith at BJ's Funeral," Monica said.

"Ned is usually pretty levelheaded so perhaps logical minds will prevail there. Of course, Carly seems like a loose cannon so who knows?"

"Once again, we're not going to solve this tonight and the kids have swim practice at 4 o'clock in the morning so I think we need to sleep." Monica said as she extricated herself from Alan's lap.

"You can be my voice of reason," Alan said as they made their way across the room to their king size bed.

"Only on the days I don't need you to be mine," Monica said as she started to stack extra pillows on the bench at the foot of the bed.

Alan laughed. "I really love you, I do," he said.

"I love you too, Alan," Monica wasn't really that simple or maybe it as she got into bed beside her husband Monica knew there was no one else's arms she wanted to fall asleep in.

XXXXXXXX

As he slipped from their hotel room, Rex Stanton congratulated himself on his manufactured circumstances. Lucy was out cold and unlikely to awaken for at least eight hours. That gave him plenty of time to meet with Jerry Jacks, Stefan Cassadine, and Faison but still slip back into bed without Lucy having a clue he had done anything but lie beside her.

 _Bonne Nuit, Ma Chre!_ Rex thought as he strode down the hallway to the elevator.


	60. Chapter 54: Father Figures

_*I know this may seem like a chapter out of nowhere but it actually moves some of the Sonny and Jason plot (and thus moves the story overall in the direction of a Jarly resolution, albeit on a more extended timeline than I originally envisioned). If you want more information about characters that are not familiar just ask in a review.*_

* * *

October 12, 1997

Manhattan, NY

Showering in the neurology call room at New York Presbyterian was anything but luxurious. Frankly, it was more than a bit sketchy but Dr. Lois Cerullo really didn't have a choice if she wanted to make it to 8:30 mass at St. Matthews. Fortunately, she had remembered to bring flip flops for the shower and her own body wash and shampoo. She would survive!

When she stepped out of the shower five minutes later, Lois decided surviving was a good theme for the day. The patient she had infused TPA at two AM, had been awake, talking, and moving everything when she made post call rounds right before seven AM. Continuing the theme, since changeover had gone smoothly, she was going to make it to mass where her goddaughter Gianna Rose Solieto would be christened. Gianna herself was certainly a survivor; she had been born septic at thirty-six weeks after her mother developed invasive listeriosis. She had fought for life for months in the NICU but she was finally home, alive, and beautiful.

As she finished dressing and started to brush out her hair Lois realized she never would have expected to be Gianna's godmother nine months earlier. Although her father was close friends with Gino Solieto and she and Carla had attended Sacred Heart Academy together they hadn't been close. Carla was a spoiled princess, and Lois had finished high school three years early so they really hadn't been an opportunity for shared experiences, at least not as children.

But six months earlier when Carla collapsed at Gino Solieto's funeral mass Lois was almost transported back in time. She had been pregnant with Brooke Lynn when her father had been dying of Pancreatic Cancer. She had gone into pre-term labor at her father's funeral. It was hard to accept that the baby growing inside of you would never meet the first man who had loved you unconditionally, who would have loved them unconditionally. That Lois could understand.

 _March 29, 1997_

 _Dr. Lois Cerullo stepped off the elevator on 8 South. She figured it would be rude if she was at the hospital and didn't at least stop in to see Carla. Or at least her mother would think that._

 _When she slowly pulled the door to Carla's room open, Carla glanced over and then averted her eyes. "Tony went down to the chapel," she said._

 _Lois decided that was probably fair. In spite of their parents' friendship, she and Carla had never really been friends. Tony had graduated in the same class as Lois's older brother Antonio and they had been much closer. "I actually came to see you," she said._

 _"_ _Ok, Tony said you helped me yesterday at the funeral. Thank you. It's all kind of a blur but my OB said you were completely right about the lying on my left side," Carla said._

 _"_ _Unloading the uterus helps improve blood return," Lois said uneasily._

 _"_ _I guess you would know," Carla said._

 _Lois wasn't sure how to take that whether it was intended as a compliment and a reference to her profession or what. "Yeah, I didn't have the easiest pregnancy with Brooklyn. I may not be able to relate to much of your life but I know how difficult it is to be pregnant and grieving. I know you and your father were close and it must be very difficult to lose him now. I really am sorry for your loss."_

 _"_ _But you're Team Ally and you also think I should give Tony his freedom?"_

 _Lois had never met the infamous Ally Rescott Alden Bowman and really didn't have an opinion. "I never said that. I don't think I can really fault anyone for fighting for their marriage," she said._

 _Lois winced after those words were out. She had kind of faulted Ned for trying to fight for their marriage. She wasn't about to admit that to Carla._

 _"_ _Really?" Carla seemed genuinely surprised._

If she looked back on the conversation with any cynicism, Lois could convince herself that Carla had befriended her hoping that she could convince Lois to become Team Carla. Perhaps she had. Or perhaps her father's death really destroyed her. Lois could relate to that.

 _June 2, 1994_

 _Lois Cerullo Ashton winced as new pain seared across her abdomen. Once again, it was way too early for her to be having actual contractions. She leaned back in the chair in her office in Luke's and offered a silent prayer for her uterus to settle down. It didn't work but she was still clinging to her last shred of protective denial when Sonny came in five minutes later._

 _"_ _Did you get everything straightened out for next…Hey! Are you alright?" Sonny asked._

 _Lois raised a hand as she felt bile rise up in her throat._

 _Sonny must have interpreted the nonverbal cue because he pretty quickly helped her up and into the bathroom where she emptied anything that remained in her stomach after the last time._

 _Lois took a few shallow breaths and reached around and flushed the toilet. She had never understood people who claimed to feel better after they threw up. Seriously, unless they had a brain tumor so vomiting somehow lowered their intracranial pressure that made absolutely no sense._

 _Sonny laid a hand on her shoulder and then passed her a glass of water and wet cloth._ _"Do you want some water or something?"_

 _Lois swished some water in her mouth, wiped her face, and choked back a few tears. "Uh, can you help me get up off this floor?" she asked._

 _Sonny wrapped an arm around her and let her lean against his shoulder. "I guess you're not feeling better. What do you need me to do?" he asked._

 _Lois was trying to figure out the answer to that question when Sonny helped her into Luke's office._

 _"_ _Why don't you lie down in here while you're figuring that out. Don't worry I had the couch steam cleaned after the last time Laura kicked Luke out."_

 _Lois forced a smile as she lowered herself down to the couch and laid down on her left side. "I think maybe I just need a minute to see if the baby wants to settle down," she said._

 _"_ _Are you having more contractions?" Sonny asked._

 _Lois bit her lip and nodded. "Maybe these are just Braxton-Hicks," she said._

 _"_ _Or maybe I should take you to the hospital. You seem to forget, Lois Marie, that I've known you a lot longer than Ned and I can tell when you're in pain. I also know that you must know what a real contraction is."_

 _"_ _Sonny, please, can we not go there right now?"_

 _XXXXXXX_

 _Lois watched Sonny pace about her hospital room and listened to her daughter's heart tones oscillate between 130 and 150. That was basically perfect so somehow in spite of everything Brookie was hanging in there. Or she seemed to be._

 _Dr. Anita Gellar stepped into the room. "So, the fetal tracing looks good. Maybe we'll just see how you feel after a liter of fluids but I suspect Dr. Newman will want to keep you at least overnight again," she said._

 _Lois nodded. She knew that as a third-year resident the ultimate decision would not be Dr. Gellar's. She also doubted that Dr. Newman was going to take any chances with Edward Quartermaine's great grandchild so she had basically resigned herself to spending the night. Maybe it really was what was best for the baby. "Thank you," she_ _said._

 _"_ _Of course, just let the nurses know if you're having more pain or if you need anything else," Dr. Gellar said before she turned to leave the room._

 _Sonny stopped pacing and returned to sit in the chair by her bed. "That sounds good. It is good, right?" he asked. He squeezed his chin, something Lois knew he did when he was scared._

 _"_ _Yeah the heart rate is fine and there is good variability without decelerations. Like Dr. Gellar said the tracing looks good. I probably just got a little dehydrated. I'm really ok, now," Lois said._

 _"_ _Maybe you need to take it easier. If you need to take some time off, we'll manage. This has been a difficult time for all of us but you're kind of living for two and we all just want you and the baby to be ok," Sonny said._

 _"_ _I'll be ok," Lois said. Staying home all day with her thoughts hardly seemed like a good option._

She and Brooke Lynn had both survived the pregnancy. In fact, after so many pre-term labor scares, Lois ended up being induced after her due date.

XXXXXXXX

Sonny Corinthos pulled into the patient drop off area in front of New York Presbyterian. He turned his head toward his goddaughter strapped into her car seat in the back seat. "Wake up sleepy head we're about to see your Mommy!"

Brooke Lynn stirred slightly but then settled more comfortably into her car seat and continued to sleep.

Lois came striding out of the front entry to the hospital with a white coat draped over one arm and a duffle bag in the other hand. She opened the door to the back seat, deposited her stuff, and then kissed her daughter. "Good morning Brookie! Mommy missed you," she said.

"Mommy!" Brooke Lynn squealed.

She was awake. Sonny decided not to take offense at that. "So how was your night?" he asked once Lois had climbed into the front passenger seat.

"It wasn't bad. I actually got some sleep between eight and midnight and then things got interesting. I'm sure you plan on spoiling your niece and nephews at Falconeri's Bakery after church so I'll get a nap in then and be fine," Lois said.

Sonny looked at her carefully before he pulled away from the curb. She looked tired, but she also looked content in a way he hadn't seen when she had been married to Ned. He had always blamed Ned, because that was easy but maybe it wasn't being Ned's wife that was so stifling but just not practicing medicine at all. Perhaps he was meant to recognize that he was meant to encourage her to persevere in her original career rather than support her career 180 just because that was one way to ensure she would never have to see her sociopathic ex-fiancé. He hadn't realized that at the time of course. So, he had let her do that career 180 and he found her the job as the entertainment director at Luke's Place.

"I guess I didn't realize this before but you were really meant to do this weren't you?" Sonny asked.

Lois smiled. "Yeah, I see that now. I'm not sure I made a mistake by taking a break when I did. I needed that time after Jeremy and I was such a mess when Pops was dying so it's kind of scary to think about being a resident then. Also, I wouldn't trade essentially being with Brookie all the time the first two years and that clearly wouldn't have happened if I was trying to finish my neurology residency. Sometimes things happen for a reason."

Sonny needed to believe that.

XXXXXXXX

Ten-year-old Dante Cerullo slipped into his acolyte robe in the basement of St. Matthew's Cathedral as his friend Joey Solieto came into the room with his mother Francesca right on his heels. "I swear, Joey, if you do anything to mess up this christening, I will donate your play station to the Children's Society."

Dante stifled a laugh. Joey's mother had threatened to donate basically every toy he had ever owned at least a few times. As far as he knew she had never followed through. Joey knew that too.

"You don't even like Aunt Carla and you're the one who told Uncle Tony to make sure he got a paternity test," Joey said as he took off his coat.

"Joseph Michael Solieto, I said no such thing. I'm going to let your grandmother wash your mouth out with soap if you continue."

Joey shrugged his shoulders and reached for his acolyte robe without saying another word.

Dante was quite certain that Carmella Solieto did follow through on her threats so it was probably wise that his friend was taking at least a momentary vow of silence.

"I'm counting on you to keep him in line, Dante. You've always been such a good boy," Francesca Solieto said before she turned and headed back to the stairs which led to the narthex.

Joey scowled at his friend.

"Hey! It's not my fault that moms love me, my mother has high standards!" Dante protested.

XXXXXXXX

Carla Solieto smoothed out her daughter's christening gown as she removed her from her car seat carrier and then gently kissed the baby's cheek. Her eyes misted as she thought of her late parents, Gino and Rose Solieto. Her daughter's name, Gianna Rose, was a tribute to them. She had half expected Tony to fight her on that, but he hadn't. He hadn't fought her on much since that day in April when his sidepiece Ally Rescott Alden Bowman had showed up at her OB appointment. After that he had promised that things were really over between him and Ally. They would raise their child together and be a real family. Carla wanted to believe that but she was seriously still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Oh, she looks so precious!" Lois Cerullo exclaimed as she joined them.

"Thank you, and thanks to your mom for hanging onto this dress for my mother. When my mother was dying marriage and babies were the furthest things from my mind but I'm so glad that I'm able to have Gianna christened in the dress that my mother made for my own christening," Carla said.

"Can I hold her?" Brooke Lynn Ashton asked as she reached over and patted the baby's head.

"She is still really little, Brookie, maybe when she is a bit older," Lois said.

"Actually, we got the all clear to officially treat her like a normal baby. Dr. Johnson even said she is ahead in terms of hitting all her milestones. So, if you sit down with your mom, you can hold her, Brooke Lynn," Carla said.

XXXXXXXX

Jason Morgan made his way down the far aisle to the pew Sonny Corinthos sat in with Joe Scully and Leonardo Pozzulo. Joe Scully headed the Detroit Partnership but was still a bit of an unofficial consigliere to the Camorese and Pozzulo Family, two of the New York Five Families along with the D'Angelo, Zacchara, and Solieto Families.

Sonny stood to shake Jason's hand and then pulled him into a hug. When they separated, he stood back and seemed to give him a once over. "You look good. Is that a new suit?" he asked.

"Of course," Jason said. He still didn't completely understand the inner workings of the mafia but he knew it wouldn't do to show up to Gino Solieto's grandchild's christening without a new suit. It was a respect thing.

"Manzo's?" Sonny inquired.

"Is there anywhere else?" Jason asked.

Sonny and Joe Scully both chuckled.

XXXXXXXX

Ally Bowman pulled the door open to Falconeri's Bakery. She and Tony had come for coffee and pastries after iceskating on their first date-February 26, 1996. Later, after Tony had been all but forced into a marriage of convenience with his cousin, who conveniently was adopted and shared no common genes, Carla Solieto; the self-righteous niece of the owners, Olivia Falconeri Cerullo had informed Ally that she wasn't going to turn a blind eye to Tony's affair. Apparently, Carla had been her friend when they had both attended Sacred Heart Academy.

Fortunately, the Falconeri Family religiously attended Sunday Morning Mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral and Ally enjoyed stopping at Falconeri's to pick up pastries to enjoy after her Sunday morning sexcapades with Tony. The pastries were great and she loved thumbing her nose at people who presumed they had any authority over her. The only problem was that it had been four months since Tony had been in her bed. He had sworn that they were through in April, but Ally had worn him down and he had come back to her. Then he received a panicked call from Carla that she was calling an ambulance because she thought she was in labor.

Carla hadn't actually been in labor. But it was actually worse because apparently, she had something called listeriosis and she had nearly died. She had given birth to their daughter a few days later and Tony had apparently promised God that, if Carla and the baby survived, he would take a vow of fidelity. Initially, Ally hadn't been too threatened by that because Tony had given her the same story in April. But then Tony changed his cellular number and had his bodyguards get rid of her. So now she just came to Falconeri's on Sunday mornings to eat, reminisce, and plot her next move. After all, in another four months, Carla wouldn't be the only woman holding Anthony Solieto's baby.

XXXXXXXX

Jason Morgan sat silently as Lois Cerullo and Joseph Solieto Jr. joined Anthony and Carla at the altar. They would serve as baby Gianna's godparents. His mind wandered to the day he had known with certainty that he was going to be a father.

 _July 7, 1997_

 _Jason Morgan hated hospitals! It was the combination of too many people, far too many of whom seemed to want him to be the way they remembered him, and too many annoying noises. He sensed that someone else had entered the room and turned his head to glare._

 _His glare softened when he heard Carly's voice float across the room. He heard the uncertainty in her voice. "Jase?" she asked._

 _Carly smiled when she reached his bed. "I'm so glad you're alright! Tony and I went away for the holiday weekend and I didn't know until I saw the paper this morning. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it, Jase"_

 _"_ _I'm fine," Jason said._

 _"_ _So, what happened?" Carly asked._

 _"_ _Not important," Jason said._

 _Carly shook her head. She reached down for Jason's hand. He let her take it._

 _"_ _There is something I need to tell you, Jase, I'm not carrying Tony's child. This is your baby, your son."_

 _Jason blinked several times in rapid succession but he didn't speak. He couldn't._

 _"_ _Jase?"_

 _"_ _I heard what you said."_

 _"_ _Ok, so are you going to say anything?" Carly asked._

 _"_ _I'll keep your secret if what you want is to raise the baby with Dr. Jones."_

 _You would do that?" she asked. It almost sounded like that wasn't really what she wanted._

 _"_ _My life is dangerous and it isn't really suited for a child," Jason said._

 _"_ _Is that why you're with Robin, because she won't ever be able to have kids because of the HIV?" Carly asked._

 _Jason didn't answer that question. What was the point?_

 _"_ _What if I wanted to raise the baby with you?" she asked._

 _"_ _I thought you said you loved Dr. Jones."_

 _"_ _I guess I can't force you to be a part of your son's life," Carly said._

 _"_ _It isn't that I don't want. I'm just saying that maybe the best thing I can do for my baby is to just get out of the way. You know if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you, for the baby," Jason promised._

He had kept his promise by getting Ned to agree to step in. He had seen Ned with Brooke Lynn; he knew he was a good father.

 _September 24, 1997_

 _Jason Quartermaine killed his bike's engine as he pulled into 188 Cypress Avenue. When Ned had called, he hadn't sounded like he should really be driving anywhere and Jason was pretty much always ready to take his bike out so he had agreed to come to him._

 _Ned pulled open his own front door dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and looking exhausted. "If this is still what you want, I'll do it," he said once he had closed the door._

 _"_ _You will?" Jason asked. He wasn't sure what had changed. He decided maybe he didn't want to know._

 _"_ _Don't worry Jase, the irony is not lost on me either. But, yes, I'll marry Carly and raise your child as a Quartermaine," Ned said._

 _Jason was even more confused. "Irony?" he finally asked._

 _"_ _Lois doesn't think I should even be able to see my own child. You support her in that view but then ask me to raise your child?"_

 _"_ _I never said you weren't a good father, Ned!" Jason protested. He hadn't. He didn't think that!._

 _"_ _So, you were just doing Sonny's bidding?" Ned asked_

 _Jason wasn't sure what he was doing. Truly he hadn't given it much thought. He had helped Lois get settled in the city because Lois had always been kind to him. She had found him the job with Sonny after all. The rest of it he really hadn't thought much about. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he finally said._

 _Ned's face softened. "I'm sorry, that probably isn't fair. I shouldn't be taking my frustrations out on you."_

 _"_ _For what it's worth, Ned, I do think you're a good dad. I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I didn't," Jason said._

 _Ned seemed to consider that for a moment. He took and released a deep breath. "If you really believe that, Jase, then maybe you can do something for me," he said._

 _"_ _What?" Jason asked warily._

 _"_ _Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to sneak Brooke away from Lois. Lois is a good mom and Brooke probably is better off with her and all of her Cerullo family. Just promise me that if Brooke ever really needs me and Lois is uncomfortable calling me that you will."_

 _"_ _I can do that," Jason said._

Jason glanced across the church to where Brooke Lynn sat with her grandmother, Gloria Cerullo. For a moment he reflected on the reality that he, not Ned, had helped Lois set up the new playset for her third birthday; and Ned would hold Carly's hand when she brought their son into the world. Ned had called it ironic and perhaps it was. But as he sat in St. Matthew's Cathedral Jason felt a bit more emotional than that.


	61. Chapter 55: These Mercies Bless

October 12, 1997

Port Charles, NY

Twenty members of the Quartermaine extended family sat down to brunch at the long maple table in the dining room. Prime Rib, spinach quiche, rice, steamed brocolli and carrots, croissants, fresh fruit, and juice beckoned from the buffet sideboard as family patriarch Edward Quartermaine stood up at the head of the table. "I just wanted to say how nice it was for us to finally get Sunday brunch back into the dining room," he began.

"Edward, it isn't like there was some great conspiracy to keep you from the dining room. I've told you before this table doesn't accommodate more than twenty-two people with any elbow room to speak of. We fit today because there is a smaller group," Dr. Monica Quartermaine said.

"Then, obviously, we need a bigger table," Edward informed his daughter in law.

"That would require a bigger dining room and we are not doing any more remodeling this year!" Monica asserted.

"You should probably listen to her, you know, since it's her house and all," Dr. Mark Henry Quartermaine told his uncle. His father, Dr. Henry Quartermaine, had died during his service in a MASH Unit during the Vietnam War and he had lived with his Aunt and Uncle during his final two years of high school and all of college. Part of that time he had actually lived in the house owned by his cousin by marriage, Dr. Monica Quartermaine.

"Well, my son gave it to her so it isn't like I am without any rights here, you know," Edward protested.

"You always have the right to remain silent, dad. I've told you that before," the Honorable Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler said.

"You aren't amusing," Edward said with a snort.

"I think Katelyn was going to give the blessing," Dr. Alan Quartermaine said as he smiled across the table at his youngest daughter.

Three-year-old Katelyn Quartermaine beamed as she stood up and pushed her blond curls back from her face. "Emily taught me this one. Her first mommy used to say it," she said as she reached for the hands of her sisters on either side of her and waited for the rest of the table to join hands and bow their heads.

"Be present at our table, Lord. Be here and everywhere adored. These mercies bless and grant that we may feast in fellowship with thee. Amen!"

"Amen," Edward's voice boomed and echoed from the acoustics of the cathedral ceiling and rotely another chorus of amens came from around the table. It was followed by a wail over the baby monitor.

"Now those are Quartermaine lungs," Dr. Mark Henry Quartermaine said proudly as he hopped up from the table and started out of the room to go collect his daughter from the nursery in the west wing.

Beth Quartermaine looked more abandoned by than appreciative for her husband's quick departure. Yet, she managed to force out, "Thank you, honey, umm sorry for the disruption!"

"Never apologize, all babies are precious and we love having Kensi around, wails and all. I hope she is excited that she will be getting a new little cousin this Christmas," Lila Quartermaine said.

"Yes, that will be nice for her I'm sure. I meant to ask do you know if you are having a boy or girl?" Beth asked.

Carly Ashton wasn't sure why she felt so put on the spot. She glanced desperately at her husband.

"It looks like a little boy," Ned Ashton said proudly.

"Oh, that is nice, Lila mentioned that you are using a Beatrix Potter theme for the nursery and I found the sweetest little Tom Kitten, Benjamin Bunny, Squirrel Nutkin, and Jemima Puddle Duck framed prints when I was in Wyndam's shopping for Kensi's Christmas Dress. With Mark's call schedule I never know when we will actually make it family events so I just had them shipped to you," Beth said.

"Thank you so much! The nursery is still a work in progress; the furniture is being delivered from Wyndam's on Tuesday and then I'll get started on the actual decorating so the timing is perfect," Carly said. She glanced hesitantly at Ned as she spoke and was somewhat reassured when he took her hand under the table.

"You're so welcome, and if you need any help with the nursery definitely feel free to ask. Since we moved back to Port Charles when Kensi was about seven months old I basically got to do the nursery twice," Beth said.

"But you loved every minute of it!" Mark said when he came downstairs with their sixteen-month-old daughter Kensington Quartermaine in his arms.

In quick succession a pager went off, the phone rang, and the doorbell chimed. Fourteen-year-old Allison Quartermaine leapt up from the table. "I'll get the phone."

Half of the table reached for their pagers but Alan came up the victor, or the odd man out, depending on perspective. He glanced at it. "We have a pediatric trauma en route, I have to go back to the hospital," he said as he stood up and gave his wife a quick kiss. The doorbell peeled again in the background.

"I guess I'll get the door," AJ Quartermaine said to no one in particular.

"Doesn't anyone appreciate the sanctity of Sunday dinner? You know, if you had let me keep my butler then your son wouldn't have to run for the door like a commoner, Monica," Edward Quartermaine grumbled as he returned to the table with a plate of food as Alan left the dining room.

Dr. Monica Quartermaine just shook her head.

"Mom, Audrey Hardy is on the phone for you. Somehow, she is of the belief that Sarah spent the night here last night," Allison said when she came back into the dining room.

"Have either of you seen or spoken with Sarah recently?" Monica said as she locked eyes with both of her older daughters.

"I haven't seen Sarah since Spanish class on Thursday," Emily said.

"I'm pretty sure I saw her in passing in the halls on Friday afternoon. We don't have any classes together. Liz was working at Kelly's on Friday night when Em and I met Lucky there after Emily's cross-country meet."

"Yeah, that's right," Emily agreed.

"Ok, well, thanks, I guess I'll go deal with Audrey," Monica said as AJ entered the room with Maggie Carpenter from Children's Services.

"Ms. Carpenter, hello! I'm sorry but I thought that you were coming over to supervise Scott and Serena's visit at three. It isn't quite one yet," Monica said.

"I'm not hungry. I can see my daddy now!" Serena Baldwin said as she bounced up from the table.

"Perhaps I had the time wrong. Let me just check with central office. Do you have a phone I could use?"

Monica looked at her dubiously as if she questioned her story somehow. "Of course, unfortunately Mrs. Hardy is waiting on the main extension to speak with me so just give me a minute. Emily and Allison, if you could help Katelyn and Serena fix plates at the buffet while we're straightening all of this out that would be much appreciated. Serena, your father would want you to eat and that needs to happen before you visit with him," she said then she finally slipped from the room.

The whole situation made Carly tired. She might have joined in with a few of the nursing students in mocking the uber professional Dr. Monica Quartermaine but she was starting to see that she really was a good mom. Something Carly was very afraid she would not be.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine took and released a few cleansing breaths as she made her way down the East Hallway to the foyer where she presumed Allison had answered the phone. From the click of heels, she knew that the social worker was in pursuit although not quite keeping pace. Monica covered miles every day just rounding at PCGH so she was used to walking briskly.

Monica forced a smile before she picked up the receiver. "Hello, Audrey, how can I help you?"

"I was just wondering what time I should come by to collect Sarah? I wouldn't want her to wear out her welcome, not that she could of course. She definitely is Jeff's daughter," Audrey said with a punctuating laugh.

Monica wasn't sure exactly why Audrey Hardy had believed that the sun had rose and set behind Sarah's father's head each day but she had accepted that she had. Personally, once she had gotten to know him well, she had found Dr. Jeff Weber a bit of a selfish and entitled brat. Despite Jeff's delusions to the contrary, she had no regrets about ending their relationship when they were first year medical students. Three years later when they somehow both ended up at PCGH for residency she had tried to be kind and compassionate but Jeff had just exploited that at every turn to try to resurrect their relationship. The fact that she had married Alan six months before they started residency had been irrelevant from his perspective.

"I thought Allison explained that Sarah isn't here and she hasn't seen her since school on Friday. I also spoke with Emily and she says she last saw her Thursday afternoon in Spanish class," Monica said.

"Well, why didn't you call me Saturday afternoon? I dropped Sarah off at the football game, anticipating that she would go home from the game with Allison."

 _Hmm maybe because I spent most of Saturday afternoon in the cath lab at PCGH and then had to throw together a dinner party. Or maybe because I had no idea Sarah was even supposed to be here!_ Monica thought but she didn't think Audrey wanted to hear any of that.

"I'm sorry for the miscommunication but our entire family attended the Fall Carnival at Lilac Park Elementary so no one attended the football game. I also confirmed that neither of my daughters invited Sarah to spend the night here. Have you checked with any of Sarah's other friends?" Monica asked.

"I can't believe that her best friends are not more concerned that she is missing!" Audrey exclaimed.

Monica was pretty sure that both of her elder daughters would list Faith Ward, Lucky Spencer, Amy Reardon, Josh Barrington, and even Sarah's younger sister Elizabeth before than Sarah herself if listing a best friend but that seemed unkind to point out to Audrey. "I think Allison didn't realize you were concerned she was missing. I can have the girls reach out to some of their other friends and see if anyone knows anything. Have you checked with Liz, maybe Sarah told her something," she suggested.

Audrey snorted. "Sarah isn't like your daughters. She is a good girl!" she said before disconnecting the call.

Monica just shook her head. "Ms. Carpenter, the phone is available now if you would like to make your call," she said.

XXXXXXXX

Maggie Carpenter knew before she even picked up the phone that she was more than two hours early for Scott Baldwin's supervised visitation. She had received an anonymous tip that the Quartermaines were allowing Mr. Baldwin unfettered and unsupervised access to his child and she had hoped to catch them complicit. She had failed. So, as an attempt to preserve some credibility, she would call into their central case line and confirm the three o'clock appointment.

XXXXXXXX

Elizabeth Webber quickly buried her face behind her geology textbook, when she heard the kitchen door open, so her grandmother wouldn't realize she had been laughing. If was kind of hard to not laugh since even through the closed door she had heard her grandmother's rant and the way she had slammed down the kitchen wall extension. While it would certainly be sad if Sarah was actually missing or something else horrible had happened to her Liz was sure that wasn't actually the case. It was far more accurate that Sarah had just gotten caught in a lie. Of course, since it was Sarah, Liz was sure that all would be magically forgiven as some misunderstanding.

"Elizabeth, did you forget to give me a message?" Audrey Hardy asked.

Liz lowered her book slightly. "No, no one called for you," she said.

"Are you sure, Elizabeth? This is very important."

Liz rolled her eyes behind the camouflage of the book. "No one called!" she said.

"So, you haven't heard from your sister at all?" Audrey Hardy rephrased the question.

Liz gave up and closed the textbook and laid it on her lap. "I haven't spoken to Sarah since she was complaining I was making too much noise in the bathroom while I was getting ready for work yesterday morning. That was before six since apparently Ruby thinks it is perfectly reasonable for the same person to close Friday night and open Saturday morning," she said.

"Oh Elizabeth, I am sure that Sarah would have only said something to you if you were being unreasonable. Sarah is not one to complain needlessly. Well, come along, your sister is missing we must go down to the PCPD," Audrey Hardy said as she started towards the coat closet.

"Maybe I should just stay here, you know, in case Sarah comes back," Liz said.

Audrey Hardy just snorted, grabbed her purse, and stalked out her own front door.

Liz waited until she heard the car pull away before she turned on the stereo. She wasn't totally heartless.

XXXXXXXX

 _Oh crap!_ Sarah Webber thought when she woke up in a pile on the floor of Tiffany Peterson's living room and realized it was one o'clock in the afternoon. The night before had been great! Tiffany's parents were out of town on some cruise so Jamal and Zander had brought "party favors" and it had been the kind of party until you drop and then sleep where you fall but reality would be biting hard if she didn't get her butt back to her grandmother's house and soon. Part of the problem was that she had carefully told her grandmother she was spending the night with Alison, knowing her grandmother would presume she meant Allison Quartermaine. She had actually planned to spend the night with Alison Barrington and figured she could always use that as plausible deniability if needed. She had just hoped that wouldn't be needed.

Sarah dug through her bag for a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and an oversized sweater. She would take a quick shower and then figure out how to get home. But as she made her way into the bathroom, she realized she had the perfect plan.

XXXXXXXX

Lucky Spencer rummaged in the refrigerator for anything edible. He came up with milk that was two days past the expiration date and some condiments. Since his mother had left to relocate near some rehabilitation program his grandmother was in, in North Carolina in July, his father had pretty much abandoned cooking or grocery shopping so slim pickings were typical.

Lucky tossed the milk carton in the trash and closed the refrigerator door. He knew he could go to Kelly's but he seriously just wanted to be able to sleep in on Sunday morning and grab a bowl of cereal on his couch. _Was that really so much to ask?_

While Lucky was debating his options for food the phone rang. He grabbed for the kitchen extension. "Hello," he said.

Sobs echoed from the other end of the line. "Hello," he repeated.

"Oh, thank heavens, you're home, Lucky!" Sarah said.

"Is everything ok, Sarah?" Lucky asked. _If Nikolas had hurt her, he would seriously kill him!_

"I hope so. I'm at the Country Club with Ali and her parents and I tried to call Grams to let her know I would be a little late getting home but I'm not getting any answer. I'm like so afraid something happened to her!"

"Did you want me to stop over there and check on her?" Lucky asked.

"I think I'll only feel better if I see her with my own two eyes. Is there anyway you could come and pick me up?"

He could do that. He would do that. "Sure, it will take me about fifteen minutes to get over there though."

"Ok, just hurry, please! I'll meet you outside the gates so we can get to Grams' as soon as possible."

XXXXXXXX

 _I am really getting too old for this_ , Detective Ross Janelle thought as he listened to Audrey Hardy sob about her missing granddaughter. "So, you last saw Sarah Saturday afternoon?" he asked.

"Yes, I dropped her off outside the stadium. She is a Varsity Cheerleader at PC High and was cheering for the game against Brethen. She was supposed to go to Allison Quartermaine's for a sleepover after the game but she never arrived there."

"How was she supposed to get to the Quartermaines?"

"Well, I presumed that Monica or Alan would drive her."

"Had that been arranged beforehand?"

"Well I just presumed but when I called there looking for Sarah, Monica insisted Sarah had never been there and that they hadn't even gone to the football game."

"When did you speak with Dr. Quartermaine?"

"Right before I came here. She had the audacity to suggest that I should call some of Sarah's other friends and see if she was there, as if Sarah would lie to me."

"Did you do that?" Detective Janelle asked. He supposed it was possible that the Quartermaines were holding a minor against her will but it seemed more likely that Sarah Webber had used spending the night with Allison Quartermaine as a cover story for some other activity her grandmother was unlikely to approve.

"I assure you Detective Janelle that I know my granddaughter. She does not lie!" Audrey asserted.

"So, it is your belief that your granddaughter is being held against her will in the Quartermaine Mansion?" Detective Janelle asked.

To her credit, Audrey Hardy looked a bit aghast at the suggestion. "I never said that! I assure you; I am not defaming the Quartermaines. I was more afraid that Sarah was abducted after the football game," she said.

Detective Janelle realized that could be possible, even if unlikely. Although it appeared that the Quartermaines had no idea that Sarah planned to come to their house or intention to pick her up after the game. That led him to believe that Sarah herself had no intention of going to the Quartermaine Mansion. Of course, he supposed that if Sarah had other plans which she didn't want to share it was always possible that she met with foul play in the course of those plans. He hoped that wasn't the case but he would need to proceed as if it was until she was found.

"I wasn't suggesting defamation, however, Dr. Quartermaine's suggestion to talk with Sarah's friends was a good one. It is where we will need to start as well. So, could you give me a list of her friends?"

"Emily and Allison Quartermaine are probably her best friends. Although I must say they aren't being very good friends now. If the roles were reversed, I am sure Sarah would be out looking for them."

"Ok, I will definitely follow up with the Quartermaines but what about other friends?"

"She is dating Nikolas Cassadine; his family owns Spoon Island now."

Detective Janelle groaned internally. He remembered the drama that had ensued when the prince himself had been missing earlier in the year. "Have you checked with Mr. Cassadine?"

"I don't appreciate that implication Detective Janelle."

"Ma'am, I assure you there is no implication of impropriety. Ok, I'm going to go speak with the Quartermaines and then I'll head out to Spoon Island. Why don't you go home in case your granddaughter shows up there? I'm going to stop back at your residence once I've done that. If you could have a list of the rest of Sarah's friends and a few recent photos we could use that would be incredibly helpful.

XXXXXXXX

Elizabeth Webber seethed when she saw Lucky Spencer navigate into a spot in front of the Wilburs's lawn. He walked around and opened the door for Sarah and then walked her up to the front door. _So, Sarah had been with Lucky? Life was just not fair!_ Biting back a few tears she stomped up the stairs to her room and slammed the door.

XXXXXXXX

Sarah Webber breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped into her Grandmother's house and wasn't immediately met with Audrey's judgmental eyes. Of course, there was still the issue of Lucky following behind like a lost puppy dog. "Thank you so much for bringing me home. I'll think I'll be ok now. It looks like Grams didn't answer the phone because she was out. She probably got called into the hospital or something," she said.

"Do you want me to wait while you check upstairs and make sure she hasn't fallen or anything?"

Sarah really just wanted him to leave. But she smiled sweetly and said, "Oh my what if that did happen? Yes, please let me check upstairs."

As she went up the stairs, Sarah had a moment of reflective guilt. Lucky's scenario could be possible. It wasn't like her grandmother was young; she had turned sixty-seven in June.

But when Sarah reached the upstairs hallway, she heard only music coming from Lizzie's room. The bathroom was empty and the door to her grandmother's room was open. When she poked her head inside, she saw that the bed was made which made it more likely that her grandmother was out rather than injured somewhere in the house.

"It looks like she must be out. I don't see any sign of her upstairs. I have a bunch of studying to do so thank you again for the ride."

"Oh, no problem!" Lucky said. He gave his shoulders a shrug as if it was all no big deal.

Sarah decided she was going to hold him to that. She started towards the door and opened it. "Well, thank you," she said again.

Eventually Lucky filed out.

 _Finally!_ Sarah thought as she went into the kitchen to make a sandwich.


	62. Chapter 56: Behind the Scenes

Audrey Hardy felt defeated as she pulled her own front door open. She was dreading the conversation she needed to have with Jeff. _He had trusted her with his child and she had let him down. There was no acceptable explanation._

With a heavy heart she hung up her coat and then made her way into the kitchen.

"Oh, hi Gram!" Sarah said as she picked up her sandwich to take another bite.

Audrey flew across the room and enveloped her granddaughter in a hug. "Sarah! You're home! I was so worried!"

"Of course, I'm home. Where else would I be? Ali's dad took the whole family to the Country Club for lunch but I swear I came straight home right after," Sarah said.

"But I spoke with Monica Quartermaine. She claimed that you never spent the night!"

"Oh Gram, I think you must have misunderstood. When I said I was spending the night at Alison's house, I meant Alison Barrington. She is on the cheering squad and she is in my history class. We really have a lot in common."

Audrey couldn't imagine what Sarah and Alison Barrington had in common. Back when Audrey was Sarah's age girls like Alison Barrington were considered fast or loose and neither term was complimentary. "I didn't realize that you and Alison Barrington were even friends."

"Well, we've been in the same pyramid group for cheering and we did that history project together. Oh Gram, I know that look, you probably think Alison's mom is, well, a bit like Steven's mom. From Ali's stories, I'm not sure even she would dispute that. But Ali is really a lot more like me and I just feel like I shouldn't judge her because of who her mother is. I mean can you imagine if people knew about Steven's mom but that isn't really his fault."

Audrey hated to admit it but Sarah did have a point. Sarah had always been such an empathetic and kind child; just like her grandfather Steve. "That is very true. Perhaps I have been a bit hasty in my judgment. I was just so worried about you."

"I'm sorry Gram, I was a bit worried myself when I came home and you weren't home but I figured perhaps you had gone to the grocery store or gotten called into the hospital."

"Didn't your sister tell you that I went to the police station?" Audrey asked.

"Lizzie has been up in her room blaring that infernal music since I got home. She didn't even say hello!"

Audrey shook her head. Her youngest granddaughter seemed to define unreliable and irresponsible. "I must call Detective Janelle back and let him know that you are fine and it was all a simple misunderstanding. Then I am going to give Elizabeth a piece of my mind," she said.

XXXXXXXX

Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler stacked the final plate in the dishwasher. "Well, I guess that does it," she said as she closed the door to the dishwasher.

"Yes, thank you for your help," Dr. Monica Quartermaine said as she closed the refrigerator and then grabbed a cloth to wipe down the granite countertops.

Tracy figured that since Monica and Alan basically hosted the entire family at least weekly it was kind of the least she could do. Fortunately, her sister in law had a well-designed kitchen with two dishwashers, double ovens, a separate prep sink, an induction cooktop and granite counters. They had just finished a major renovation project over the summer. "Do you like the induction cooktop?" she asked.

"I do. Alan still tends to believe that men cook outside the house," Monica said.

Tracy chuckled. She thought it was eleven years ago when Alan had put then three-year-old Allison and nine-year-old AJ into their snowsuits so he could make pancakes on the grill outside. Like many things, it had become a bit of a family joke. Alan continued to claim that Allison and AJ thought it was cool and his wife agreed that cool was a good word to use since it was the middle of January and there was a foot of snow on the ground. "We're looking at ranges now. Ryan wants to take advantage of the Black Friday sales."

"If you're upgrading more than replacing, you can donate your current range to Habitat for Humanity. It made me feel better about basically destroying a perfectly good kitchen this summer. We donated our cabinets and appliances to Habitat," Monica said.

Monica and Alan had always had a gorgeous and completely on trend kitchen. Renovating every five years would do that. Although in contrast to many of their neighbors, Tracy knew that they at least cooked in their kitchen. Or at least Monica did; Alan was apparently still flipping pancakes and grilling salmon and prime rib on the patio. "That is a good idea. Do they have a pickup service?" Tracy asked.

"They do. They actually did most of the demolition of the old kitchen so they could save the appliances and the cabinets."

XXXXXXXX

Ned Ashton stood outside his aunt and uncle's kitchen listening to his mother and aunt's seemingly innocuous conversation. He wanted to talk to Monica but there wasn't a good way to interrupt without making his mother feel like he was rejecting her advice in favor of his aunt's so he decided he wouldn't do that. He definitely didn't need to insert any more awkwardness into their mother -son relationship. Yet, as he turned to walk back down the East Hallway, he realized how much it had always been that way and he wasn't quite sure how to change it.

His mother had been the first wife, in a long series of wives, of the low-level British Monarch, Lord Lawrence Ashton. He didn't remember his father. He had been barely two months old when the divorce had been finalized. They had returned to the states then and moved in with his mother's parents, the Quartermaines. He didn't really remember that either, or at least not their arrival at the original Quartermaine Estate. He had some early disjointed memories of his grandfather and the Wall Street Journal and he had some vague idea that he had once crawled his way through his grandmother's original rose garden, the one before the even larger one she had designed, developed, and cultivated on the grounds around the mansion his Uncle Alan had given his wife the summer after Ned had turned twelve. It hadn't made much sense to Ned at the time, since his Aunt Monica had barely had time to select paint colors for her new dream home before she went off to Philadelphia for her cardiology fellowship and, at least from his grandfather's perspective, abandoned her husband and child. Fortunately, Dr. Alan Quartermaine had viewed things a bit differently. He had been raised by Lila Morgan Quartermaine after all.

When Ned looked back on all of that he realized that even that recounting of childhood memories would make his mother feel badly since his memories centered around everyone but her. Perhaps that was because his mother had spent most of his early childhood in college and then law school. He had turned seven a few months before she graduated from law school. She took a job as pro-counsel for CPS but from overheard conversations Ned knew she had felt like a hypocritical fraud. In spite of that, she was sworn in as a family court judge a few weeks before his eleventh birthday.

When he stepped back into the living room, Ned realized that the rest of the family had scattered. Only his grandfather was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace flipping through a contract. "What did you do this time, Grandfather?" Ned asked.

"I beg your pardon," Edward said as he frowned at the contract.

"When I stepped out of the room a few minutes ago there were about fifteen people here," Ned said.

"If you must know, Scott Baldwin arrived so Serena and that social worker went off with him; your cousin had to go back to the hospital, apparently even the physical rehabilitation unit has emergencies; the kids went outside to play soccer; and your grandmother is somewhere with Carly and Betsy and the baby."

"I think she prefers Beth now; I believe Elizabeth is her given name," Ned said.

Edward grunted and then shook his head making it quite clear he was not going to be reproached. "She was Betsy when she met Mark Henry at your wedding. That was about the only good thing which came of that day," he said.

Sadly, Ned wasn't even sure he could disagree with that statement.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton watched Mark and Beth's daughter toddle across the patio outside the living room. Ned had referred to it as something else, perhaps the East Terrace but Carly couldn't keep all of that straight.

"I remember when I was a few months away from having Kensi I was alternatively terrified of birth and excited to finally meet her. Are you and Ned doing a Bradley Birth?" Beth asked.

 _Bradley Birth? What?_ Carly had no idea what that even was. "Umm, I think our childbirth class starts next week," she finally managed to choke out.

"Mark researched all of the methods and concluded that Bradley was the most evidence based. Evidenced Based Medicine is his thing," Beth said.

"I see," Carly said. _What else could she say?_

"He's kind of a geek that way. I love him but don't get him started on EBM unless you want to just sit and listen until your eyes glaze over," Beth said.

"I'll keep that in mind. So how did you meet?" Carly asked. She needed a topic change!

Beth appeared uncomfortable with the question. More than a few seconds passed before she said, "Umm, we met at a wedding."

"You don't need to be uncomfortable, dear. Carly knows Ned was married before," Lila said.

"I think you misunderstand Mrs. Quartermaine. It wasn't that I thought Carly would be upset to know that I met Mark at Ned and Jenny's wedding. It was that when I look back on that wedding, I am still a bit mortified I stood up for Jenny after I caught her kissing Paul Hornsby before the rehearsal dinner. Oh, she had an excuse; Jenny always did but I guess I just feel I should have known better."

Carly couldn't really comment on that. She might not have been kissing Jason before the rehearsal dinner but she would have if he had shown up and promised they would figure it out somehow. She wondered if Lila suspected that. After all she had carefully gone back into the house and left Jason and Carly alone on the patio by the pool on Friday.

"I assure you that no one in this family hold you responsible for Jennifer's infidelity, or her lack of integrity," Lila said.

"I appreciate that. So, onto happier topics I don't think I ever heard how you and Ned met."

"I guess we technically met at the Nurse's Ball in 1996. I was Lucy Coe's assistant so I met a lot of people but Ned has a really good memory so he remembered my name five months later when we both helped serve at the Charles Street Community Thanksgiving held at Ward House," Carly said. She had basically used the explanation that Ned had provided his cousins a week earlier. She figured the more consistent they were the better.

"So, you volunteer with Ward House? That is great, when Kensi gets a little older I want to do that. I worked as an attorney for a non-profit when we lived in New Jersey but I couldn't bear to put Kensi in daycare so I've been staying home with her."

"I really just helped out with the Thanksgiving thing and a little with the Christmas Toy Drive," Carly said.

"Carly undervalues her contributions. We would love to have you join us as well, Beth."

"I'll talk to Mark about his schedule. As long as he isn't on call, I can leave Kensi with him on the weekends so I could probably help out then," Beth said.

Carly forced a smile. Beth's daughter was really cute and she seemed like such a good mom. _It must be nice,_ Carly thought.

XXXXXXXX

Maggie Carpenter hated hiking more with every step along the trail at the Chapparal County State Park in Deering. Up ahead Scott Baldwin bounded along the trail with his daughter on his back. According to the map, if she didn't die first, they would reach the waterfall in another half mile.

"You doing alright back there?" Scott Baldwin called as he stopped for moment.

"Just fine," Maggie ground out.

"Ok, full steam ahead!" Scott Baldwin said as he started walking again at an even faster clip.

Maggie just groaned. She hated her life! As an added bonus, apparently Edward Quartermaine, who golfed regularly with the Director of Social Services Ed Crane, was annoyed her ineptitude had resulted in his Sunday Brunch being interrupted. She could only imagine the reprimand that would follow from that.

XXXXXXXX

Katherine Bell tried to enjoy a luxurious soak in her suite at the Port Charles Hotel. Unfortunately, she just felt wrinkled and ruined, just like her skin. Stefan had not returned any of her calls. It was as if, at least from Stefan's perspective, she no longer existed. She probably didn't. She had seen the way Stefan coldly and callously dismissed people. She just had never thought it would happen to her. _Perhaps she should have stayed with Mac Scorpio when she had the chance. Hadn't her mother always said that a bird in hand was worth two in the bush?_

With that thought, Katherine pulled herself from her quickly cooling tub. Suddenly she felt like a martini, or three, at The Outback.

XXXXXXXX

AJ Quartermaine turned onto Windsor Road which wrapped around the back of the Port Charles University Campus. PCU's four fraternities and three sororities were interspersed amongst private estates. As he pulled into the parking lot beneath the back of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity House, he glanced over at Keesha. "This house meeting should be quick and then we can go grab dinner somewhere. Do you want to study in our library?" he asked as he slid his BMW into park.

"Ok," Keesha said without meeting his eyes.

AJ heard the uncertainty in her voice. "Is something wrong, Keesha?" he asked.

"Isaiah got arrested again last night," she said.

Isaiah Abraham Ward was the eldest son of late US Attorney, Bradley Ward Jr. He was Justus and Faith's older brother and Keesha's first cousin. AJ had met him only briefly when he returned for his father's funeral in March of 1994. He didn't remember him being at his grandmother's funeral in January of 1996. "I'm sorry," AJ said.

"I guess the problem is I'm not sure if I am," Keesha said.

"What do you mean?"

"They are charging him with murder. The cop they say he killed had young children; two little girls who were four and seven. That's even younger than Faith was when his father was murdered," Keesha said.

AJ stopped himself from asking if she thought her cousin had actually committed murder. He couldn't imagine that. Or maybe he couldn't. Jason basically did the same thing. "I guess maybe I'm sorry that it happened. I'm sorry that a man is dead and two children will grow up without their father. If your cousin actually killed then I'm sorry that his heart is where it is. I don't know, don't hate me for not knowing how to respond to this Keesha," he said.

"Yeah, it's not like there is a book how to still love your cousin who kills people. Or I don't think there is," Keesha said.

AJ wondered what that book might say. He was intelligent enough to not suggest he and Keesha could write it. Although, in a way, they were writing that book just by living their lives. "I can miss this house meeting if you need me to," he offered instead.

Keesha shook her head. "No, I don't need you to. Come on, let's go inside," Keesha said.

XXXXXXXX

Alexis Davis came down the formal front stairs in Wyndamere and saw her nephew standing in front of the full-length mirror pensively. He was dressed in black slacks and a black collared shirt with a grey sports coat. "Is everything alright, Nikolas, you look troubled?" she asked.

"I am just trying to decide if this outfit requires a tie," Nikolas said.

Alexis laughed. While Stefan was adamant that Cassadines dressed for dinner, Nikolas seemed to be taking that to an entirely new level. "I think Ms. Lansbury and the kitchen staff will you let you slide this once and Stefan won't be home until tomorrow," she said.

"I actually have different dinner plans. I will go upstairs and add a tie," Nikolas said.

As her nephew turned towards the stairs, Alexis had a horrible thought. _Did Nikolas have dinner plans with Katherine? It would the third time in a week!_ "Oh, who are you going out with tonight?" Alexis asked. She tried to make her words sound nonchalant. She felt anything but. _She had created the elaborate lie to get Stefan away from Katherine but that was hardly helpful if it just made Nikolas vulnerable to Katherine's spider web. What had she done?_

Nikolas's cheeks turned slightly crimson. "Sarah invited me to have dinner with her and her grandmother."

Alexis released a deep breath. Audrey Hardy had mentioned that her grandmother Sarah was enjoying spending time with Nikolas. Stefan had appeared chagrinned but quickly covered, as it would not do to offend the widow of his predecessor who also happened to be the current director of nursing. Alexis knew that her cousin did not regard Sarah Webber as a suitable partner for a prince. Of course, Nikolas would not be eligible to assume control of the Cassadine holdings for another seven years so Alexis didn't see the harm of him spending some time with Sarah Webber in his teens. "What restaurant are you taking Sarah to dine at?" she asked.

"Friday night I took her to Café Decadence, down on the River Walk. Tonight, she invited me to have dinner with her grandmother at the Hardy home," Nikolas said.

"I think you can forget the tie. I highly doubt the Hardy family routinely wears ties to the dinner table."

"When Emily and Allison Quartermaine invited me to go that brunch everyone was wearing suits and ties," Nikolas said.

"Yes, I'm sure they were. Edward Quartermaine is rather particular about that kind of stuff," Alexis said. Emily and Allison Quartermaine came from a family of similar class and social standing but Alexis was quite sure her cousin wouldn't approve of Nikolas dating one of them either. After all, there was that whole thing with Alexandria and Tony.

"So, are you sure the situation does not require a tie?" Nikolas asked.

The only thing Alexis was really sure about was that she would once again be dining alone. "I would definitely ditch the tie," she said.

"Thank you, cousin, I hope you have a pleasant evening as well," Nikolas said as he made a final adjustment to his collar before heading to the foyer and out the door.

XXXXXXXX

Katherine Bell's smile quickly turned into a pout when she walked into The Outback and didn't see a certain Australian tending bar. Regardless, she made her way over to the bar and climbed up seductively with a wink to the bartender. "How about a double martini with three olives?" she asked.

Trask Bodine refrained from comment as he poured gin and vermouth into a shaker. He was one of the few people who knew that his boss had been prepared to propose to Katherine Bell on the night she dumped his butt.

"So where is your sexy boss?" Katherine asked as he slid her drink across the bar.

Mac Scorpio had left town along with Felicia and Bobbie Jones and their respective kids on some extended PI case about two months earlier. Trask was sure there was more to that story but he had carefully not asked because he was a horrible liar and he had a feeling someone would question him eventually. "Mac is out of town on a case," he said.

Katherine tried to laugh but it came out as more of a cackle, which in Trask's opinion, was fitting. "Wasn't he out of town on a case the last time I was here?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Trask said. Technically that was the truth. He really didn't recall the last time Katherine had been in The Outback. Of course, if it was any time in the past two months then the answer would have been yes.


	63. Chapter 57: Conversations in Confidence

Ned Ashton placed a third suit in his garment bag. Theoretically, the FDA final review hearing should only take one day but it was always better to be prepared. On that note, Ned realized that he still hadn't spoken with Monica. Perhaps there were a few files he needed to retrieve from Edward's home office before his eight AM flight to DC. "Carly, I need to go back over to Alan and Monica's and grab a file from Grandfather's home office. Is there anything I can get you before I go?" he asked.

Carly looked up from the magazine she was flipping through. "No, I was going to give Simone a call and then take a bath. I'm just motivating myself to get out of this chair."

"I can bring you the cordless phone," Ned said. He liked to be useful.

XXXXXXXX

"Here, Carly," Ned said as he extended the cordless phone to her. "I'm going to go but I shouldn't be too long."

Carly took the phone. "Thanks, it's ok if you are. I'm sure your grandfather will come up with a few more things you need to take care of before you're gone for three days," she said.

Ned laughed. "Good point! Hopefully I won't actually be gone three whole days. Ideally, this hearing only takes one day so I can fly back Tuesday evening. You have my cellular phone number and I'll leave you John and Abby's number in case I don't have service or something."

Carly wasn't about to admit that she kind of hoped Ned wasn't actually gone for three whole days. She had kind of gotten used to having him around. "It's ok, just remember I have that ultrasound on Thursday. Dr. Meadows wanted to get another look at the baby," she said.

"I haven't forgotten and don't worry, I'll be there," Ned said.

After Ned had left Carly stared at the phone for a minute before she started to dial Simone's number.

Simone eventually picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello," she said. She sounded less than thrilled.

"Ok, so maybe you can just designate a thirty-minute period that is Carly can call without annoying me time. Every other time I've called you think I'm waking you up, interrupting your creative process, or committing some other infraction," Carly said.

"I'm sorry, actually now is fine. I guess I just have a lot on my mind," Simone said.

"What do you mean?"

"My boss is kind of a jerk. I want to switch jobs but that is hard in this industry and this economy."

For a moment Carly tried to consider what her friend had said. The economy part she had no clue about but Simone was a reporter for the NY Post. That at least sounded impressive, at least to Carly. "Why is it hard to switch jobs?" she finally asked.

"Because so much of it is dependent on connections and your relationship with your editor, or in my case assistant editor. Also, it is really hard to make a lateral move, even if you're willing to basically go back to the absolute bottom of the pile of staff writers, and that sucks to begin with," Simone said.

"I met the Editor in Chief of the Port Charles Herald at some party I went to with Ned, does that help?" Carly asked.

Simone laughed. "Probably not, unless you've suddenly decided to become a journalist. I think Art Riker might hire Edward Quartermaine's granddaughter blindly but probably not his granddaughter's best friend who doesn't even have a byline yet."

"Writing isn't really my thing. I would have to be an on air reporter, they just have to read stuff and look good doing it right?" Carly asked.

"Uh, not exactly, although news anchors are often less involved in uncovering the story than an investigative journalist so to speak."

"Ok, so I guess that crosses off another career," Carly said.

"Do you actually want to be a television news anchor?" Simone asked.

"Not really, but suddenly Ned is all supportive of me going back to college," Carly said. Like many things, Carly couldn't figure out what Ned really wanted her to do. _Did he need her to achieve her bachelor's degree because he was embarrassed to be married to a woman who couldn't even do that? Or did he just want her to know it was an option and he would support that?_

"I think Ned's right. I mean maybe not right away with the baby but I think you'll know when the time is right," Simone said.

 _Would she?_ Carly wondered about that.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine sensed that his nephew was looking for something besides a file when he appeared at their front doorstep short before eight o'clock. "If you don't need to get right back to Carly, you're welcome to join Monica and I for some tea. There is also some left-over pie," he offered when Ned hesitated a moment in the foyer.

"Maybe I will do that; Carly was about to call her friend Simone when I left," Ned said. He took a step in the direction of the West Hallway.

"Ok, I'm going to go upstairs and say goodnight to the kids and then I'll put the kettle on. Why don't you join us in the kitchen once you find those files?" Alan suggested before he made his way down the East Hallway to the kitchen.

To his surprise, Monica was already in the kitchen and appeared to have just put water on to boil. "Excellent timing, that was Ned at the door. He came to retrieve a file from Father's office but I think he really wants to talk," he said.

Monica conveyed with her eyes that she worried he was veering into dangerous territory.

Alan didn't necessarily disagree but that was kind of the story of his life. "Do you think I'm making the wrong call here?" he asked.

Monica turned away from the cook top. "I'm not sure so, I guess, technically, no," she said.

"But you're also far from sure I'm doing the right thing?" Alan asked.

"I guess those words fit as well. Unfortunately, I think it is just going to be a difficult situation and I'm afraid no one will come out of this better for the experience. Serena and Katelyn are asleep but why don't you go upstairs and say goodnight to Kirk and your daughters. I still have lunches to pack and I was hoping to get to bed by nine," Monica said.

Alan pulled his wife into his arms for a moment. "You know I love you; I really do," he said before he started up the kitchen stairs.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Monica Quartermaine closed the final lunch bag and realized that her nephew was standing in her kitchen holding a few file folders. "Oh, hello, Ned. I didn't even hear you come in. Kirk would be impressed by your degree of stealth," she said.

"What can I say? I aim to please. Alan said he was making tea," Ned said.

"The tea is steeping and Alan is upstairs saying goodnight to the kids why don't you have a seat in the solarium and I'll join you in a minute," Monica said as she stacked five lunch bags on top of each other and headed to the refrigerator.

When she turned back around after putting everyone's lunch in the refrigerator, Monica realized Ned was still standing in front of the large island in her kitchen.

"I was hoping I could ask you for a favor," Ned said.

"Of course, what?"

"Can you just check in with Carly once or twice while I'm out of town? Ideally, I wouldn't be going out of town at this point in the pregnancy," Ned said.

Monica suspected that the FDA hearing had been scheduled long before Ned had any idea that Carly's pregnancy was relevant to his life. She put that thought out of her mind. It was really none of her business. "Of course. She can even join us for dinner tomorrow night if she wants. I have STEMI call on Tuesday and Alan has in house trauma call on Wednesday night so those nights will be hectic I'm sure."

"I appreciate that. I'm hoping to be home sometime Wednesday at the latest," Ned said.

"Of course, we're family. Everything is alright with Carly's pregnancy though, right?" Monica asked.

"It seems to be. Dr. Meadows was a little concerned about the baby's growth and wanted to get another ultrasound on Thursday but she said things looked good otherwise," Ned said.

"That sounds mostly encouraging," Monica said. She chose her words carefully. She knew that Dr. Meadows was thorough but not overeager to do extra tests.

"I know. Carly seems to have glossed over the growth part or maybe it's her own protective denial. I'm not really sure," Ned said.

Monica picked up the tea tray from the island. "Come on, why don't we go into the solarium, it's a much more comfortable place to sit," she said. She led her nephew through the kitchen into the solarium extension and set the tea tray down on the coffee table. Their solarium had once been a room of peace and tranquility but in recent weeks it seemed to be where she and Alan hosted their awkward conversations. _She had still spoken to Lucy Coe and Rex Stanton in the study. She had some boundaries!_

XXXXXXXX

The concept of pie was largely lost on Nikolas Cassadine. It was definitely another American thing he just did not understand, or perhaps properly appreciate. Regardless, Monica Quartermaine's apple pie with that crumb topping was much preferable to Audrey Hardy's version which seemed to sandwich overcooked apples in between cardboard. Of course, he had manners so he forced himself to choke down said cardboard with a smile on his face.

"Isn't Gram's apple pie the best?" Sarah Webber asked.

"I must say, I have never had anything quite like this," Nikolas said. _He hadn't!_

Audrey Hardy smiled. "Thank you, you are too kind. Apple Pie was always Sarah's grandfather's favorite pie."

"It has always been everyone's favorite pie. Well, except for Lizzie, she likes pecan," Sarah said with derisive snort.

Nikolas thought, if given the choice, he would also prefer pecan pie. He had discovered it at the Quartermaine New Year's Eve Party. Emily had apparently helped her mother make the pecan pies so had wanted him to try it. It had actually been really good, on a par with the pastries the chef at Wyndamere made. He remembered how Emily had blushed at that praise.

"Far too much fat and calories for my taste," Audrey Hardy agreed.

Nikolas refrained from comment. He knew it was his safest approach. He sensed it was also a bad idea to mention Sarah's sister. He had never met the young woman but it was quite clear that she was the black sheep of the family. That bothered him for reasons he could not explain.

XXXXXXXX

Ned Ashton supposed his uncle's concerns that Dr. Tony Jones intended to file a paternity petition shouldn't surprise him. He had been well aware that Carly and Tony's relationship had ended anything but amicably. "I appreciate your candor and I'm sorry if I'm putting you in the middle," Ned began.

"You're family, Ned. We just want the best for you, Carly, and the baby," Alan said.

"I appreciate that, but I am sorry if it makes things awkward at the hospital for you. Carly was originally going to transfer to an OB at Mercy. Maybe I shouldn't have discouraged her from doing that," Ned said.

"Mercy's obstetrical department is very low volume and they don't have a NICU. I really wouldn't advise Carly to have the baby there especially since Dr. Meadows is already concerned about the pregnancy," Monica said.

Alan raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"I don't know. At the last appointment, Dr. Meadows was concerned about the baby's growth but she said everything else looked ok on the ultrasound. She was going to repeat the ultrasound on Thursday. Carly seemed to only hear the part about everything else looking ok and not the part about the growth concerns," Ned said.

"I'm sorry. I hate that this whole thing with Tony may just cause her more stress," Alan said.

"You aren't responsible for Tony's actions, at least not outside of the hospital," Ned said.

"No, but I am sorry that the situation is what it is. I hesitate to suggest this but do you think talking to your mother might help?" She probably has the best sense of how this will all play out in family court," Alan suggested.

There were so many reasons why his mother was exactly who he should be talking to but also so many reasons why she was the last person he should be discussing any of it with. Ned knew his Uncle Alan was well aware of both sides. For years, his mother had called her younger brother she when didn't know what else to do with him, like when they had that horrible fight when he was thirteen after his cousin Alexandria's funeral.

 _August 6, 1981_

 _"_ _Edward Lawrence Ashton this conversation is not over! Now open this door!" Tracy Quartermaine yelled through the bedroom door Ned had slammed in her face moments earlier._

 _Ned flopped over onto his side and attempted to ignore his mother's rant. She would come up with something more pressing eventually. If he waited her out long enough, she would go away. Yet he wasn't sure that was really what he wanted. He hadn't locked the door. He wondered if she would realize that. He wondered if he wanted her too._

 _His head hurt. Pain started at the base of his skull and seared forward to his eyes and temples. He shut his eyes. That was a little better but not really. He felt weirdly unsteady and wondered if it was similar to what Austin or Blackie had described as a bad trip. He wouldn't know because, contrary to his mother's suspicions, he had never even experimented with drugs. As the pain intensified, he pulled a pillow over his face to block out the pain, or at least the light._

 _XXXXXX_

 _"_ _Ned, can you open your eyes?"_

 _His Uncle Alan's voice sounded distant but Ned could feel his fingers pressing lightly into his wrist. He wasn't really sure what had happened. He must have fallen asleep. His head hurt. He felt someone lifting his eyelids and he winced and closed his eyes tighter at the bright light that flashed into them._

 _"_ _What's wrong with him, Alan?"_

 _His mother sounded tense. That wasn't new. She always sounded tense, but he thought she sounded scared, or sad, or maybe both. He didn't really want her to be either._

 _"_ _His pulse and breathing are normal. His pupils react, he doesn't have a fever I'm not sure why he isn't responding to us. I think he needs to be evaluated in the ER. Maybe he needs a CT of his head. How much do you know about his father's family health history?"_

 _Ned struggled to open his eyes and realized three things: he was lying on his bedroom floor-he had no idea how he had gotten there; the room didn't spin quite as much if he kept his eyes open; but his head hurt so much more._

 _Alan laid a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back, do you remember what happened?"_

 _Ned wondered if that was supposed to be a trick question, although that was more his mother's, or his grandfather's, style. His Uncle Alan was usually more interested in just getting to the truth without extra points for trapping someone in a lie. Quartermaines didn't lie, Ned had heard that only a million times from his grandfather but his children seemed to apply that mantra to life in different ways._

 _The truth was the last thing he really remembered was slamming his door and hurling himself onto his bed. Not that that was anything new really. "My head hurt, I don't really remember after that."_

 _"_ _Did you fall?" Alan asked as he moved his hand and seemed to push on the back of his neck. "Does that hurt at all?" he asked._

 _"_ _No, I don't know!"_

 _"_ _No, it doesn't hurt? And you're not sure if you fell?" Alan asked._

 _"_ _My head hurts not my neck," Ned said. He shut his eyes, the spinning was more tolerable than the pain he thought._

 _"_ _What did you take, Ned?" his mother asked._

 _"_ _I didn't," Ned said but his voice sounded strange even to him and then everything got really dark again._

Even years later, Ned had no idea what had happened after that awkward moment on his bedroom floor. His mother had told him that he had become unresponsive again so she had called an ambulance. She had also explained that she had sent his Uncle Alan in the ambulance with him. That had made sense after all, his uncle was a physician. Or it had until his mother had tearfully admitted that hadn't been the reason. She had truly thought that, if he woke up, he would find his uncle more comforting than her. Ned remembered he hadn't disputed that. Later he had regretted not correcting her. Then his head had hurt too much to regret anything.

"I'm sure she would but I'm just not sure that is a good idea," Ned said. He couldn't exactly explain to Alan that he didn't want to overtly lie to his mother and tell her he was the biological father of Carly's baby. Doing that would surely erode any tenuous trust between them which was the last thing he wanted. He was an attorney he could chose words carefully. As long as he was married to Carly at the time of the baby's birth, NY State would consider him to be the baby's legal father regardless of biology.

"She is your mother, but she is also my sister and you have to know that there is no one in this world that she loves more than you," Alan said.

"That isn't why I'm reluctant to talk to her about this," Ned said. _It wasn't, he was just limited in explanations._


	64. Chapter 58:Things Go Bump in the Night

Outback Bartender Sean Cudahy slid another martini across the bar. When he had relieved Trask Bodine at eight o'clock, he had told him that he had already cut the cackling blonde off and was hoping she might eat something and then be sober enough to be put into a cab. Yet, when she winked at him and demanded another he had obliged. It might not be honorable thing to do but he wasn't exactly an eagle scout like his older brother Tom or even a marine like Trask Bodine. No, he didn't live a clean life, and go to marine reserves drill sessions at eight AM. _As long as they were rich, he preferred his women a little on the trashy side._

XXXXXXXX

When he sat in his cousin Alphonse Castiglia's Greenwich Village rowhouse sharing a scotch with him and Dominick Graziano, Joe Scully felt like a lucky man. His wife Jeanine had called off their ridiculous divorce and his son Christopher was the starting quarterback on an undefeated Grosse Point High School team. Beyond that, the power struggle in the Family had settled out once again and with Vincent Castiglia's son and Saverio Graziano's grandson back in control of the Camorese Family there seemed to be more right than wrong in the world. Or there would be if the commission would finally strip the Zacchara Family of their seat. There was history there; the D'Angelo family had been decommissioned, so to speak, in the early eighties. Of course, the aftermath of that had not been pretty, or without bloodshed. Then there was the issue that Anthony Zacchara's daughter had married Roberto Mancusi, the son of Chicago Outfit Boss, Salvatore Mancusi.

"How sure are you that we took out all of Zacchara's inside guys?" his cousin, Alphonse asked as he swirled his glass and then stared into the ice cubes.

In 1986 Joe Scully had learned that NYPD Detective Deke Woods was working with the Zacchara Family against the other five families through a bit of a twisted quid pro quo system. What he hadn't shared upfront with Luigi Camorese, Gino Solieto, or Leonardo Pozzulo, when they signed off on the hit, was that he had started looking into the less than honorable detective because he also happened to be Sonny Corinthos's abusive stepfather. It had been business but it had also been a bit of a personal honor killing. That had come out later. By then it appeared that Zacchara had at least one other inside source so Joe's own lack of transparency had been overshadowed by the need to ferret out the rat.

"There certainly could be someone else. I guess we can really only be certain that Deke Woods is dead and Joey Zamora is in prison. Have there been other incidents?" Joe asked.

"Cops showed up at Sal's; they seemed to be looking for drugs. Maybe they just had some bad information or maybe someone pointed them in that direction," Saverio said.

Sal Luciano owned a Butcher Shop down 86th Street from the fire station he had once worked at with Carmine Cerullo and Raphael Giambetti. It was an extremely clean establishment. Sal washed everything well; sometimes even the money.

"That doesn't really sound like Zacchara or even that hanger on attorney of his, Trevor Lansing. They know we're not in the drug game so what would that even get them?" Joe asked.

"It's Zacchara, it doesn't have to be logical," Alphonse said.

His cousin had a point Joe supposed. Anthony Zacchara had always been sadistic and merciless even as a child. He had been anything but the reasonable or logical choice to head the family after his father in law's death but he had essentially declared himself the new boss and killed entire families of any man who dared to challenge him. Normally the Commission would have reigned him in but sometimes it seemed his ruthlessness made him untouchable. Even so, in later years he had become more and more erratic; a true sociopath. There were rumors he had been responsible for the death of his first wife, Domenicia Vega Zacchara in 1983, but everyone knew he had murdered his second wife, Maria Corelli Zacchara in 1992. It was the first trial of a mafioso where Joe had felt punched in the gut when the jury foreperson said, "We find the defendant not guilty." But on October 16, 1992 that was exactly what a group of individuals who had been paid off, bribed, or both did.

"True, in fact, when it's Zacchara it is basically guaranteed to not be logical. Which is another reason the Commission needs to decommission that whole family," Joe said.

"Maybe, but Zacchara is enough of a lose canon that could have truly tragic results. Anyway, he married his daughter into the Mancusi family and D'Angelo still feels they owe him a great debt because he championed their return to the Commission so it wouldn't be a smooth process, regardless," Alphonse said.

Alphonse was diplomatic just as his father had been, but Joe couldn't quite let the idea go. "From what I hear Salvatore Mancusi wasn't exactly thrilled about that union and definitely doesn't see it as an alliance between the families," he said.

"Salvatore is hardly an altar boy himself! He shot his own son and then let his other son take the blame," Alphonse said.

That was also true but Joe Scully could only accept those words with a shudder. _Wasn't there a time when made men were also honorable men?_

XXXXXXXX

As she started down the steps to the Locke Street Pier, Katherine Bell was anything but steady on her feet. She might be swaying and staggering but she was boldened with far too much liquid courage. She was on her way to the launch and she was going to fight her way onto Spoon Island if necessary. _She would speak with Stefan!_

Six steps away from the bottom she lurched forward unsteadily, and her stiletto heel caught on the step. She flailed a bit futilely but ultimately tumbled the rest of the way down to the concrete of the pier.

XXXXXXXX

Jason Morgan navigated his motorcycle through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. He was meeting Sonny, Joe Scully, and Leonardo Pozzulo at the old Solieto Warehouse in Tribeca. In spite of the name, the warehouse was currently being used by the Pozzulo Family to store several tons of cement powder for use in their paving contracts.

There was a smaller basement under the warehouse that didn't appear on the building blueprints. Purportedly it had been a distillery and speak easy during the prohibition period. More than sixty years later it was used as a different kind of speak easy, as in a place for clandestine meetings and free speech away from the prying eyes or listening ears of law enforcement. Access to the sequestered basement was through a sliding floor panel. The panel was activated with a key which there were five copies; the Solieto, Pozzulo, Camorese, Scully, and Corinthos families each possessed a key.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine pulled his Mercedes into one of the reserved physician spots immediately outside the PCGH ED, shifted into park, and climbed out quickly. He hit his key fob to lock the car as he jogged over to the ambulance entrance and swiped his badge to enter.

"Uhh, Dr. Quartermaine, you beat the ambulance but your trauma will be going to trauma room 4," one of the ED clerks told him when he entered.

Alan smiled as he headed down the hallway to the resuscitation room. Beating the ambulance definitely reinforced their ability to take second trauma call from home. He forced his countenance to maintain the smile when he walked into the trauma room and saw his resident, Dr. Arthur Cerami, leaning against a wall.

"Good evening, Dr. Cerami, where is the rest of the team?" Alan asked as he grabbed a trauma gown, shoe covers which resembled the waders his father insisted on wearing for the annual family fishing trip, and a mask with eye protection.

Dr. Cerami offered an uninterested shrug of his shoulder. "Dr. Pogue was scrubbing with Dr. Breslin on some gun shot."

"Yeah we're turning into a regular knife and gun club. Port Charles rivals the Middle East in that respect," Mitch Harris said.

Alan supposed his opinion was not completely uniformed since the thirty-year-old nurse had recently returned from a thirteen-month deployment to Iraq. But his thoughts quickly went from there to thoughts of Jason. His mother had mentioned that Jason was going out of town. Apparently, he had stopped by the mansion on Friday to say goodbye. Alan wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Ok, people, look alive. Unidentified caucasian female found down on the Locke Street Pier. GCS 12. Likely head injury and possible pneumothorax. O2 Sats 88% BP 90 over palp," a paramedic Alan thought was named Mike barked out as he and a colleague wheeled into the room.

Alan took his position at the head of the bed and stabilized the patient's neck. "Ok we move on three on my count. 1-2-3," he said.

Once the patient had been moved over to the gurney, he realized the woman in front of him, moaning Stefan, was none other than Katherine Bell. "Katherine, you're here at GH we're going to take care of you," he said as he grabbed a stethoscope and auscultated heart and lungs.

Katherine opened her eyes to his voice, didn't really engage, but had quite the intact gag reflex. Alan didn't detect any abnormal heart sounds but he didn't hear breath sounds over the right chest. He moved his hands up and down along the chest wall. He didn't appreciate step off or crepitus. "Ok, I'm going to need a chest tube set up and let's move her over to our monitors. Dr. Cerami, are you feeling an emergent chest tube tonight or do you want to finish up the primary and secondary surveys?"

"Can't I just put the orders in?" Dr. Cerami asked. He hadn't moved from the wall he had been leaning against.

Alan refrained from rolling his eyes. "Ok, so you're going to need a STAT CMP, CBC, PT/PTT, Type and Cross, HCG, ETOH, and drug screen. Then do a STAT portable Chest X-ray and a Non-Contrast Head CT with extension to get the entire C-spine," he said as he opened up the chest tube tray and slipped into a pair of sterile gloves.

Ideally a surgeon would do the secondary survey expeditiously and use that to guide their orders but everything he had listed would be needed and once he got the lung re-expanded he planned to do the FAST exam and decide if any other imaging was needed based on that.

As he prepped and draped the right chest Alan made a mental note of the behavior that needed to be addressed. He could understand it taking a while to get your bearings as a resident but he had interns who were more hands on in traumas than Dr. Cerami. Actually, he thought all of their interns were more hands on in general than Dr. Cerami.

"Mitch, why don't you hang some LR wide open through the peripheral IV EMS placed and grab me some lidocaine," Alan said as he started to prepare the chest tube with Kelly clamps."

"Here," Mitch said as he opened the lidocaine and held it upside down so Alan could draw out of it. "They only put in a 22-gauge line, so maybe you can place a line after you get your chest tube in," he added.

"Sure," Alan said as he palpated down the chest wall to the fifth intercostal space in the anterior axillary line. He inserted the needle over the inferior rib and then into the pleural space injecting anesthetic as he pulled out.

Alan picked up the scalpel and made his skin incision. He inserted his finger into the incision and made his way into the pleural space. He glanced over at the monitor and smiled as he saw that Katherine's saturations were climbing up which was good evidence that the lung was re-expanding. He picked up the chest tube and used the Kelly clamp to guide it into position. When satisfied he was in good position, he released the clamp and removed it. He reached for his needle driver and suture and started to suture the tube in place as Mitch connected the Pleurevac to the wall suction and connected it to the chest tube.

Katherine's saturations had climbed to one hundred percent by the time he was cleaning up his sharps and removing the drape. Her blood pressure was 110/70. "If that IV is holding up ok I'll go ahead and do the FAST Exam and then if that is ok I can put a Subclavian in on the right side," Alan said.

"Yeah, it's fine actually, but you know ICU will unload some passive aggressive snub if we send the patient up without a central line," Mitch said.

Alan didn't comment, it was really better that way. He picked up the Ultrasound probe and turned to Dr. Cerami. "Would you like to do the honors?" he asked.

Dr. Cerami shrugged his shoulders again. "Not really, how about if I observe?" he asked.

Once again Alan decided silence would serve him well as he placed the ultrasound probe. He was all for having a good understanding of your professional limitations but a surgeon sixteen months into residency should really be capable of a FAST exam for trauma.

XXXXXXXX

Tony Solieto carefully didn't tell his wife where he was going or who he would be with when he stepped out of the rowhouse they owned in Bay Ridge. Gino Solieto had always been adamant that his daughter knew nothing about his business so in no way could she be considered complicit or culpable in any crimes. He had expected Tony to uphold that same commitment after they married. That was a bit ironic since they had only married because Carla knew he had killed Mark Zullo.

Tony had no regrets about killing Mark Zullo. The guy was a menace; he had raped Tony's sister in law and he dealt drugs for the Zacchara Organization on a school playground. The world was a better place without him. Beyond that, Tony had made a few mistakes. Somehow Zullo had washed up against Pier 16 and his alibi had been broken when it was revealed that his girlfriend, Ally Rescott, had been cited for speeding on the FDR on the night he had tried to say they were at her place. Ally had corroborated his story which only made the cops more suspicious.

When Gino heard from a friend in the Manhattan DA's Office that they were going to have an investigative grand jury and summon the entire Solieto family he panicked. It wasn't just that Tony didn't have a solid alibi but that he had met the cleanup crew at Gino's old Brooklyn townhouse unaware that Carla was staying there while her apartment was being painted. The matter was further complicated by the fact that Carla was an attorney admitted to the bar in NY so she wasn't about to commit perjury to protect him.

So, they had married and Carla had prepared to invoke spousal privilege. The Manhattan DA's Office had been suspicious about their marriage but Carla never received a subpoena along with everyone else and no one was charged after the grand jury. Tony had been all ready to get his annulment and marry Ally when Gino decreed that would look suspicious. Carla had agreed so they decided they would stay married for at least a year and then he was supposed to be free.

Or that had been the plan but, as Sonny Corinthos would say, life happens while you're busy making other plans. Ally got sick of waiting for him so she went back to her ex-boyfriend Danny Roberts and he got sick of celibacy so he and Carla shared a single night of comfort sex. Shortly after that he had been furious with himself but, in time, he had come to accept that his daughter was indeed a blessing. She really was. Now if only Ally could accept that they really were over and he was going to be faithful to his wife.

XXXXXXXX

Nikolas Cassadine felt surprisingly alone as he paced about the Emergency Department waiting room. His heart sunk when he remembered how he had found Katherine in a lifeless heap at the bottom of the steps down to the Locke Street Pier. At first, he had been afraid she was dead. Then she had moaned. He had called for an ambulance and then made his way to the hospital. Every time he tried to inquire about her condition, he was dismissed with a simple _the doctors are still working with her._ He hoped those words were much less ominous than they felt.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Alan Quartermaine stepped back into resuscitation room 4. "So, the Chest X-ray shows my central line is in good position and the lung is re-expanded. The Head CT shows cerebral contusions with a small subdural. I paged Dr. Ross and he is coming down to see the patient but most likely he is going to take her onto his service with a trauma surgery consult. The cervical spine looks fine on the CT but since her ETOH level is 300 and she has a head injury we can't clear her so that hard collar needs to stay on," he said.

"Do we need to report this as a potential crime?" Mitch asked.

Alan considered the question carefully. Given her alcohol level, it seemed very possible, perhaps even plausible, that Katherine had just fallen. Her injuries could all be consistent with that if she had fallen from any height. Of course, he supposed it was also possible that she had been assaulted. "Why don't you notify the PCPD so they can at least start an incident report. Just stress to them that, given the alcohol level, this really may all be due to a fall."

"I would say based on the imaging that it is most likely a fall. I don't see any contra coup pattern like we would see with a direct blow and the cerebral contusions have more of axonal injury pattern consistent with shearing," Dr. Ross said as he entered the room.

"Yes, that, what he said," Alan said.

"If you put in any orders you want like for the chest tube settings, central line care whatever, I'll admit to my service. I'm likely not going to end up needing to evacuate the subdural but I guess we'll see," Dr. Ross said.

"Thank you, I actually put all of the orders in for SICU admission to me so you can just put in a transfer to your service order. I did order a repeat Head CT for the morning and I ordered 2-hour neurochecks but if you decide you want something different there that is your area. I appreciate your help; I'm actually the second trauma call person so I'll be heading home. Dr. Breslin is on in-house call but you can also call me if you need anything," Alan said.

"Not a problem, patients with acute bleeds should ideally be admitted to neurosurgery even if they aren't likely to be operative candidates. We actually discussed that at our last division meeting," Dr. Ross said.

It all sounded so reasonable but, as he left the Emergency Department, Alan knew it would have played out very differently if Tony had been the neurosurgeon on call. That was a problem. As the current chief of staff, it was his job to resolve it but he felt ill prepared to actually do that. Eight years earlier almost to the day he and Monica had stood up for Tony and Bobbie when they married on a beach in Florida. It was sometimes still so unfathomable to imagine that things had fallen so far apart so fast.

XXXXXXXX

As Leonardo Pozzulo started up the stairs, Jason Morgan decided that meetings in general were overrated. Attending a few ELQ Board Meetings had been enough to swear him off from corporate America but truly the past hour had not been much better. _Sure,_ _the Zacchara family needed to go but what was the point about debating hypotheticals?_ Jason much preferred to be a man of action.


	65. Chapter 59: Breaking Dawn

October 13, 1997

Port Charles, NY

Detective Alex Garcia took a deep breath as he merged onto the interstate in darkness. It should take them a little more than three hours to get to Chandler Enterprises in Pine Valley, PA so leaving at six o'clock in the morning made sense but that didn't mean he was happy about it. "I'm sorry to drag you along on this," he offered to his partner, Allison Jordan.

Allison shrugged her shoulders in the passenger seat. "It's ok, it's part of the job," she said.

Alex knew that was the right answer but he heard the apprehension in his partner's voice. It had to be hard to be a widowed single mom to an infant.

XXXXXXXX

"Has she woken up at all?" Dr. Alan Quartermaine asked as he stepped into Katherine Bell's room in the SICU.

"I just got here a few minutes ago but in report I was told that she opens eyes spontaneously and localizes pain but doesn't follow commands. I'm supposed to take her down for a repeat Head CT, do I need to leave the chest tube to suction?" Beth Maynard RN asked.

Alan concentrated on not revealing frustration in his face. Unfortunately, there were some nurses who would always try to do what was easiest or most convenient for them even if it wasn't really appropriate for the patient. Ironically those were usually the same nurses who really bought into the concept that nurses were the real heroes who kept physicians from killing patients. "The Chest Tube does need to remain to suction but you should be able to bring a portable suction device with you without issue," he said.

Beth Maynard rolled her eyes. "You say that because you don't have to bring the patient down to radiology. I swear this is the last time I'm letting someone float me to SICU," she said.

Alan decided it would be bad for him to express how glad he would be if she would stay out of the SICU as well. Instead he just stepped over to the bed, pulled out his stethoscope and started to auscultate.

XXXXXXXX

Ned Ashton took a final look at his sleeping wife before he crept from the master bedroom suite and started down the stairs. Even after his appeal to Monica the night before, he felt uncomfortable leaving Carly. It had been different when he had been married to Lois, both because she had traveled for work a lot more than he did and because she had always been so independent. Carly seemed so much more vulnerable.

XXXXXXXX

Abigail Donely Quartermaine stumbled into her own kitchen and grabbed desperately for a coffee mug. Only after she had poured the precious brown liquid and taken her first few swallows did she fully open her eyes. There were some advantages to having a husband that still went for his morning run just before the break of dawn, just as he had at seventeen when he was a Port Charles Police Department Cadet. Before leaving the house he always ran a scoop of beans through the grinder and started the drip percolator.

Abbie sat down on the kitchen window seat with her coffee as the sun began to rise over the Potomac. Technically it was a federal holiday, albeit one that carried more than a little baggage; but she was in the middle of trial preparations and really needed to go into the office for at least a half day. Then there was the issue that her nephew was supposed to be arriving at Reagan International Airport around ten o'clock. Since John had the day off; hopefully he could take the boys to soccer camp and then go collect Ned via the Metro. She smiled a little when she thought about how aghast her father in law would be to hear that his son and grandson were taking public transit. She remembered how she had nearly given the poor man a coronary event by suggesting that she could just take a cab. _Apparently Quartermaines didn't take cabs. Who knew? Definitely not her._

She and John were from different worlds. She had overlooked that at first, initially because it hadn't really occurred to her that they could be. He had been a Port Charles Police Lieutenant when they met. She had grown up in Beacon Hill. Her father was a federal judge. Even at Harvard, she had never felt poor but, at least by Quartermaine standards, she supposed she was. Even when she had accepted that she had wanted to believe it didn't matter, it wouldn't matter. Most days she still agreed with that thought. _But only most days._

"Good Morning," John said as he came into the kitchen after his run. He grabbed his own mug and started to fix his own cup of coffee.

"With every sip of coffee, I'm getting closer to that, I suppose." Abbie said.

John smiled. "I had to open the last pound of the mocha hazelnut this morning but Ned is supposed to be bringing replenishments from Uncommon Grounds when he comes," he said.

Uncommon Grounds was a coffee shop on Lexington Avenue in the Lilac Park neighborhood of Port Charles. ELQ's Venture Capital Division had provided some of their initial investment capital and still retained some ownership. It had opened in early 1993, only a few months before she and John had moved from Port Charles so he could attend law school at Georgetown University. She had really come to appreciate the place when she had been back in Port Charles prosecuting Damian Smith for the murder of her late colleague US Attorney, Bradley Ward Jr. They had great coffee and had been in walking distance of the Quartermaine Mansion for those times she needed to go for a walk before she said something she would regret. Basically, she had gone there daily during that time.

"In that case, maybe I'll have a second cup. I need to go into the office this morning and work on the Javier Perez trial. The boys have that soccer day camp which starts at nine. Can you drop them off before you go to collect Ned from the airport?"

"I can do that. Is this an all-day camp or do I pick them up after lunch?"

"Technically it goes all day but you should definitely pick Riley up after lunch. He will need a nap!" Abbie said. Their younger son had only turned four in February. She had intentionally selected a preschool program which included an afternoon nap.

"No problem, I don't really think Ned planned this trip as much of a social tour. I'm sure he can find something to work on before his FDA hearing tomorrow morning," John said.

XXXXXXXX

Incessant knocking pulled Alexis Davis from sleep. Groggily she forced herself upright and glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was almost seven but, in her opinion, still far too early to be conscious. "Just a minute," she called before she slid her legs over the side of the bed and stumbled over to the door of her suite.

"I am so sorry to awaken you Miss Alexis, but Master Nikolas never returned home last night. I can't reach Mr. Cassadine and I surmise he would not want me to involve the police regardless," Ms. Lansbury blurted out as soon as Alexis opened the door.

Many thoughts tumbled through Alexis's head. From the stories she had heard Audrey Hardy was anything but the prim and proper prude she tried to pass herself off as. In spite of the hypocrisy, she highly doubted that Audrey would allow her sixteen-year-old granddaughter to have overnight guests of the opposite sex. _So, had Nikolas lied about his plans with Sarah? Or had something happened to him on the way home? Or perhaps the way there?_

"No, Stefan would definitely not want you to involve our ignorant and inept local police. Anyway, there is no reason for alarm. I am sure that Nikolas just decided to stay in the family suite on the mainland. I will make sure he knows how much he has worried you and that an apology for that is expected forthwith."

Mrs. Lansbury's face became crimson and she wrung her hands. "Oh, Ma'am, no, that is hardly necessary. As long as Master Nikolas is alright, no apology is necessary," she said. She turned quickly and then hurried down the corridor.

Unfortunately, Alexis didn't really believe a word that she had just said. _Well, except for the PCPD being inept. That was definitely true!_

XXXXXXXX

Port Charles Police Department Detective Curtis Vanburen slammed his hand on his desk after detective roll call. "You have got to be kidding me! This is crap!" he ranted.

His partner, Detective Frank Scanlon, shook his head. _Another day, another tantrum,_ he thought. "What is the problem now?" he asked.

"Apparently you didn't notice we're supposed to pick up the Katherine Bell assault case. Now seriously, other than providing an opportunity for you to see your girlfriend, exactly why couldn't this case have been picked up by last night's on call Detective?" he asked.

Frank shrugged his shoulders. If he had been allowed to select a partner, he would have chosen anyone but Curtis Vanburen. Unfortunately, when Detective Taggert had been suspended for inhumane treatment of a detainee, after he turned an interrogation room into a sauna in March it had started a chain of disruption. First, Commissioner Scorpio had assigned the new Detective transferring in from Boston PD to partner with Garcia, Taggert's former partner. Then, when Taggert's suspension ended, he was paired with Andy Capelli. That had left Frank stuck with Capelli's old partner.

"Apparently, the reporting physician wasn't sure that an assault actually took place and felt the potential victim wouldn't be up to giving a statement until the morning so dispatch put it at the bottom of the queue. I would imagine things were kind of crazy last night anyway after that congressman got shot at the Croydon Hotel," Frank said.

"And once again some dispatch officer attempts to rub together their only two brain cells and still fails to make the right call. I mean seriously, if you aren't able to get a patrol spot out of the academy maybe you should grasp that not everyone is cut out to be a cop and do everyone a favor and peace out!" Curtis continued his tantrum.

Frank just shook his head again. He had been briefly paired with wonderboy, Mark Lavery, while his partner Ross Janelle was on medical leave. At the time he had been a bit wary to be paired with the grandson of a retired PCPD Captain and the son of a current PCPD lieutenant. Then, he had been grateful that Ross's knee replacement had gone great and he had returned to full duty in about three months. Now, he would pretty much give anything to go back to being paired with Mark Lavery.

"Can I see both of you in my office?" Lieutenant Joe Kelly asked as he walked by them.

Frank was quite certain their lieutenant had heard most of, if not all of, their conversation. Somehow Curtis didn't even have the common sense to appear a bit ashamed about that.

Once they had filed into his office, Joe Kelly closed the door and then stepped around his desk so he was facing them. "I understand you have questions about today's assignment?" he asked.

Curtis laughed. "It's ok, Lieu, I know you're new but FYI dispatch has a tendency to screw the pooch on the regular," he said.

Frank watched his Lieutenant's face carefully. Technically Curtis was correct at least in one sense, but only in one sense. Although Joe Kelly had only been a PCPD Lieutenant since June, he had begun his career in the PCPD and been a commended detective when he transferred into the state police system. There he had ascended to the rank of Major.

"Detective Vanburen, if you have a complaint about how dispatch triaged the case, I want to hear that so it can be effectively addressed. What I don't think is particularly helpful is when we just lob derogatory comments around about our colleagues. With that said, can you explain what you disagree with regarding dispatch's actions" Lieutenant Kelly asked.

"Ok, if we presume that dispatch is operating with an IQ above sixty and that is generous for them I know then shouldn't they realize that when a physician opts to cover their butt by reporting a fall as a crime we can just screen that out and move on. Again, you're new so you can try to explain that to them but I can tell you it won't help."

Frank supposed that Curtis might have a point; about a year earlier New York state had passed a law essentially making it a criminal matter for physicians who failed to report any possible criminal activity. Although there had been prior laws requiring reporting of child and elder abuse, and crimes with weapons like guns and knives the new law was needlessly broad and, in the six months it had been in effect, had resulted in a lot of needless reports. In Frank's opinion, sometimes accidents truly did happen and they didn't all need to be criminal matters until proven otherwise. But with the way the law was currently worded he could understand why emergency medicine physicians and trauma surgeons were reporting out of fear.

"I am not going to say that I was in favor of Senate Bill 242 and I actually testified to that at the senate hearing. Regardless, once the bill passed and was signed by Governor Drake, it became a law. Physicians are now legally obligated to report much more and we need to follow through with the investigation. As law enforcement we don't get to choose which laws we enforce. Or who we enforce laws against. So, I disagree that dispatch should have even considered doing anything other than assigning the investigation to a detective team. If I was going to fault anything, I would argue that this should have been assigned to someone overnight to do the initial crime scene securing and processing. It doesn't appear that happened so I made sure the forensic unit went out there before roll call and I will definitely discuss the importance of timely scene securing and processing with all of our officers who work dispatch shifts," Lieutenant Kelly said.

Curtis rolled his eyes. "Anyway, who says that Katherine Bell will be up to giving a statement today anyway? Why can't we just assign this to whoever is the on call detective tonight?" he asked.

"That is why I would suggest that you and Detective Scanlon start at the potential crime scene," Lieutenant Kelly said.

That sounded reasonable to Frank. "That sounds like a plan and then I can call over to GH and check on Ms. Bell's condition," he offered.

Unfortunately, Curtis was not deterred. "Again, I have to ask, what crime scene? Doesn't there need to be a crime to have a crime scene?"

"Dispatch managed to pull the EMS report, Katherine Bell was found on the Locke Street Pier. The original 911 call was placed by Nikolas Cassadine. You could be right that she merely fell as a result of self-induced intoxication. I understand it wouldn't be the first time this happened. But, until we have something to support that, I think we have to investigate. So, listen to your partner, go out to the Locke Street Pier, arrange to get statements from Nikolas Cassadine and Dr. Alan Quartermaine and see where that all takes you," Lieutenant Kelly said.

"Got it Lieutenant," Frank said before he opened the door and practically dragged his partner out it.

XXXXXXXX

Alexis Davis's heart dropped when she saw the crime scene techs on the Locke Street Pier as the launch pulled into Lock 10 and navigated to Pier 10. _Stefan would never forgive her if something had happened to Nikolas. She would never forgive herself!_

Alexis gulped and took a shaky deep breath as she attempted to disembark the boat. Her legs felt like jelly and it was all she could do to step onto the slip. She gasped and struggled as the slip seemed to give way beneath her feet.

"Is everything alright Ms. Davis?" Cyrus asked as he stepped in to steady her.

Alexis was quite certain nothing was alright but she wasn't ready to admit that to the launch captain. "I'm fine, I just lost my footing for a minute. Are we even able to dock here it looks like they've cordoned off the area?" she asked.

"I can inquire," Cyrus offered.

Alexis caught her breath as Cyrus walked swiftly toward the inlet Locke Street Pier where several people in PCPD or Crime Scene windbreakers were milling about. _What if he confirmed her worst fears? What if Nikolas was dead?_

"They say they're just about done, Ms. Davis so we can dock but they are going to leave the steps up to Locke Street barricaded but you can take the elevator. I guess someone fell or was pushed here last night and they may need to do scene reconstruction," Cyrus said.

Alexis wasn't sure how to interpret the information she had been given. _At least no one had been shot perhaps that was encouraging, perhaps…._

XXXXXXXX

Nikolas Cassadine kneaded at the back of his neck. The chairs in the waiting area outside the PCGH Surgical ICU were not meant for sleeping. Yet, he had felt he had no recourse than to do just that. The only information he had been able to receive about Katherine was that she had been admitted to the Surgical ICU. Any other information would only be given to her nearest of kin. He had contemplated calling his uncle but for some reason he had been unable to bring himself to place that call. So, he had done the only thing possible and waited outside the Surgical ICU.

XXXXXXXX

Alexis Davis attempted to steel her emotions as she pulled up the PCGH patient list and started to scan for Nikolas's name. She didn't find it, but another name leapt out at her. _Apparently, Katherine Bell had been admitted to the Surgical ICU with a head injury. Had she been the person who had fallen on the Locke Street Pier?_


End file.
